The Darkness Within
by Demon lost in Darkness
Summary: Darkness, the other side to Kingdom Hearts. What lies in it's untold depth? Could it be the fall of light? What happens when this dark power falls into the wrong hands? Can it be stopped? Better summary in my Bio thing.
1. Prolog

The Darkness Within  
  
Prolog  
  
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Two very familiar people sat next to each other in the darkest of places, one that nobody would ever want to end up at, but to them this place was an everyday thing. One was a silver haired boy with bright aqua-blue eyes that seemed to stair off into the darkness with a hopeless expression. Next to him was a mouse, and in his white-gloved hands was a strange weapon shaped like a golden key, which was known as a Keyblade. The silver haired boy sighed, which was about the only noise he made anymore, since he had long given up on talking to his mouse friend. There just wasn't anything else to talk about anymore, considering he had been stuck in this place with him for most likely around a year now.  
  
You'd think that after a few days in this strange darkness without food and water they would have been dead, but not in this place. Here food and water was not needed, it was like the darkness itself was feeding you, keeping you there to live forever in an inescapable world. The silver haired boy could describe it with only one word: hell. There was nothing to do but keep walking and searching for the thing that was most likely never there, and not only did you not have to eat, but you didn't have to sleep either. It wouldn't matter anyway since with your eyes closed all you could see was the same thing, darkness.   
  
In the beginning the boy had tried thousands of times to summon up a rip in the world, thanks to the powers Maleficent had given him, to try and get out, but it failed every time. He hoped that maybe his powers where finally gone, that he didn't have to live with them anymore, but no such luck. He still had the power to control the heartless, and he used that power to keep heartless away from him and his mouse friend. He guessed that having the powers were still good to have; otherwise they would have been in thousands of battles with the heartless by now. They might not have been living to this day either if it wasn't for the powers, but that didn't mean he liked having them.  
  
"I wish you would cheer up Riku," The mouse said, "You're only downing us both you know."  
  
"Sorry Mickey," Riku apologized, "It's just... I'm losing hope of ever getting out of here. I'm sick of looking at complete darkness every damn day! I'm tiered of looking for a way out, because there is no way out!"   
  
"Of course there's a way out, we just haven't found it yet... that's all," Mickey said. Even the cheery mouse was beginning to think the same thing, but one of them had to keep the spirit alive in the group.  
  
"I guess..." Riku trailed off, but Mickey's words weren't convincing him anymore, he had heard it to many times to still believe in them. Mickey frowned at his lack in enthusiasm as he stood.  
  
"Well, no use in staying here. Lets keep moving." Riku stood as well. Mickey tapped the end of his Keyblade to the heel of his yellow shoes making an orb of light appear on its tip. Riku closed his eyes for a moment, not used to the light, before he fallowed Mickey through the darkness. After a while of walking through the darkness, the heartless decided to rear their ugly heads.  
  
"Riku, it looks like your up," Mickey said as he stopped. In front of him where hundreds of glowing, yellow eyes waiting for the two to come to them. Riku walked around Mickey and held out his hand. His aqua-blue eyes seemed to glow in the darkness and the oncoming heartless disappeared one by one. Once they where all gone Mickey smiled up at him and walked on. Riku gave Mickey a faint smile before it turned back into a deep frown that he wore almost all the time now.  
  
He hated being able to control the heartless, it was like he was their ringleader, and they'd do anything he asked of them. Something was bothering him though. When he had first arrived in Kingdom Hearts he could have dismissed such a number with ease, but now it was getting much harder. He didn't know if the heartless were getting stronger, or he was getting weaker. A part of him hoped that his powers were weakening, but the other part was afraid, afraid that he wouldn't be able to dismiss the heartless anymore if he lost the power. If that happened it would leave him and Mickey to fight for their lives.  
  
"Mickey wait!" Riku said as he placed a black-gloved hand on Mickey's shoulder to stop him, "You hear that?" The two fell silent as Riku glanced around the darkness, but didn't hear anything else.  
  
"What was it?" Mickey asked.  
  
"I...I don't know..." Riku said as he pulled his hand away from Mickey, "Maybe I'm just losing it."  
  
"No, wait! I hear something... footsteps!"   
  
"It's probably a heartless," Riku said, "Lets just go."  
  
"But it sounds like boots, and they're starting to get louder," Mickey said as he looked around, pointing his Keyblade at where he thought the footsteps were coming from. Both Riku's and Mickey's eyes widened to find the outline of a human figure stepping out of the darkness and into the light Mickey's Keyblade was creating.  
  
"Who are you?" Riku demanded as he stepped out from behind Mickey and glared at the on coming figure. When the person was in the light fully Riku could see that by his form this person was a man, but his face was hidden by the shadows casting down on him from his black hood. All that could be seen of the man was the bottom half of his face, the chin and lips. The rest of his body was concealed by the black robe he wore.  
  
"Are you Riku?" The man's voice was deep and dark. His eyes stared at him through the shadows with an evil gleam, but Riku couldn't see them.  
  
"What if I am?" Riku spat.  
  
"Then you are needed."  
  
"By who?"  
  
"You'll find out soon enough." The corner of the man's lips rose into a smirk before he began started to advance towards Riku.  
  
"Get away from me!" Riku yelled taking a few steps back. The man lunged forward at a lightning fast speed and punched Riku out of Mickey's light and into the darkness before either of them could stop him. When Mickey tried to swat him away with his Keyblade the man simply jumped up into the air, avoided his attack, and flew off into the darkness in the direction of where Riku was. Mickey quickly fallowed hearing Riku's agonizing shouts of pain as he fought a losing battle in the darkness. Once Mickey reached them he found Riku lifting himself off the ground with the man hovering in the air not to far away.  
  
"This battle has nothing to do with you!" The man yelled as he turned to Mickey. In the shadow that had cast over most of his face Mickey could see the man's light blue eyes glowing at him with rage. With the wave of his hand Mickey was pushed back by some unknown force, knocking the Keyblade out of his hand. When the Keyblade hit the ground the light went out, leaving all three of them in darkness. Mickey crawled on the ground feeling for his Keyblade having to listen to Riku's cries of pain in the background.  
  
"Got it!" Mickey shouted as he grabbed the handle and the light flicked back on, "Riku! Where are you?" Mickey began to worry when he didn't hear the battle anymore. He ran around in the darkness, not knowing where to look.  
  
"Are you looking for your friend?" Mickey stopped and turned around to find the man with Riku hanging limply under his arm.  
  
"W-what did you do to him?" Mickey asked in horror.  
  
"Don't worry King Mickey, he's only unconscious," the man laughed as he tossed Riku's limp body onto his right shoulder, "After he wouldn't fight back anymore I simply knocked him out."  
  
"Put him down!" Mickey yelled as he charged at him, but once again the unknown force knocked him back.  
  
"Come get him if you dare, your highness," The man laughed. Mickey hopped to his feet and charged for him once again, but this time the man put a new force on him. Mickey stopped when he couldn't lift his feet anymore and slowly he sank to the ground until he was on his hands and knees.  
  
"Let him... go," Mickey growled as he forced his head to look up at him fighting against the force on his body.  
  
"I'm sorry, but like I said before, he's needed," The man said as a dark vortex appeared behind him, "It was a pleasure meeting you, but I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a rush." He slowly walked backwards into the vortex and disappeared.  
  
"No! Riku!" Mickey shouted.  
  
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Author: So how was that? Did you like it? As you read you can see that this is going to be a continuing to Kingdom Hearts. Yep I can already hear people whining out there now "not another one," but sorry I had to. *Grins*. It's kinda what I think the next one is about. I'm just having fun with it a guessing at some things that I might think happen, but not all of them. Well, I say anyone who is writing a story about the second one has got a chance of being right. I'm just doing this because it's fun to guess, and even if it's not right it doesn't matter. ^-^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did then this really would be the next game, but I don't, so it's not. I don't own Squaresoft (Square Enix, which ever you want to call it by) or Disney either. I don't own anything in later chapters, but I'm not telling you what they are cause then it would ruin it. *Grins* I don't own Riku either. *Sobs* This is the only time I'm going to say this so you better be listening to me! Okay yes, I will be saying this again in later chapters, to clarify the world I don't own so be warned. I didn't place this at the top because I just don't like to do that... I don't know why. I just like to talk and babble on after my chapters. ^-^  
  
Author: Okay, now that I have said that you can review... I'm not forcing you to, you don't have to, but I'd like you to. Tell me what ya think of it, was it good or bad. If I get at least one review, or more, I will update because it's more than I think I'll get. The next chapter will be longer, I promise. This one was short only because it's a prolog. I'm also sorry if my spelling sucked, that's one of my weak points, but I am trying to improve. It would also be great if somebody could tell me the mistakes I made so I can go back and fix them. It would do me a ton of good. *Grins* Tune in next chapter to find out what happens to poor Riku.  
  
Riku: Something bad probably, you authors are all twisted and evil like that. Always putting someone else through some kind of pain.  
  
Random person: I thought you didn't own Riku?  
  
Author: I don't. o.O Riku what are you doing here!?!? You're going to get me in trouble!  
  
Riku: I know. *Smirks* I got my ass kicked in front of who knows how may people-  
  
Author: Probably nobody.  
  
Riku: ... Yeah probably.  
  
Author: You're not supposed to agree with me! What ever happened to moral support?  
  
Riku: I just got my ass kicked by a strange man thanks to you! My pride is severely damage. Like I'm going to give you moral support! I'm not leaving until you apologize!  
  
Author: Review if you feel the need to! *Walks off*  
  
Riku: Squaresoft's going to be looking for me you know! *Runs after Demon lost in Darkness* 


	2. Chapter 1

The Darkness Within  
  
Chapter 1: Join us  
  
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Riku slowly opened his eyes, but quickly shut them again because of the bright light above him. 'Wait...a light?' Riku asked himself as he opened his eyes once again, and sure enough it was a light. Not the light that Mickey used on his Keyblade, but a real light that came from a light bulb. 'Mickey... Where's Mickey?' Riku's mind asked causing him to bolt up right. Riku grunted in pain as he griped onto the arm he used to push himself up. It wasn't just his arm though; his entire body ached in pain.  
  
"Where am I?" Riku asked himself, just barely speaking above a whisper.  
  
"Hey look! Mister darkness is finally up," A male's voice said jokingly as Riku looked around the large room. In front of him was a pair of large wooden doors, carved beautifully, and on each side of them stood a suite of armor. He continued to look around the room to find a staircase on each side of the room that met to the entrance of a hall. At the center, where the stairs met, there was a fountain with a dragon like monster spitting out water. Riku's aqua-blue eyes grew in horror as he realized this place was none other than the entrance hall to Hallow Bastion.  
  
"W-what... how did I get here?" Riku stuttered as he slowly stood up receiving a jolt of pain from his left leg.  
  
"You don't remember?" A males voice asked. Riku looked to his left to find a man in a black zip-up robe with a hood covering his face walking slowly down the stairs.  
  
"I was knocked out. What do you expect me to remember?" Riku spat.  
  
"Looks like we got ourselves a smart-ass guys," The man laughed as he reached the bottom of the stairs, smiling at the silver haired boy.  
  
"Not another one." Riku looked to his right to find a woman looking figure walking down the stairs in the same black robe as the first one. Her hood was also pulled up so Riku couldn't see her face, but what he could see was her red lips that formed a frown on her smooth pail skin.  
  
"Shut up!" The first one yelled.  
  
"Did I say it was you?" She asked, reaching the bottom of the stairs. The first man scowled over at her, and Riku was sure if he could see his eyes he would have been glaring daggers at the woman.  
  
"Both of you shut up!" Another man yelled as he walked down the staircase to the right, "Nobody wants to here you two fight right now." The man was also in a black rob, his face concealed in the hood, and behind him was another man dressed the same way.  
  
"Nobody wants to listen to you either!" The man walking behind him spat.  
  
"Why don't you go back to being silent, you know, the way you always are." The man in front of him growled.  
  
"Why don't you make me?" Riku stood in silence as he watched all four of them yell at one another, and was surprised that they didn't break out into a fistfight seeing the tempers they had.  
  
"Quite!" Riku turned around to find yet another man in a robe standing at the top of the stairs. His voice was deep and menacing, and right away Riku knew that that was the man who attacked him and Mickey.  
  
"Who are you people?" Riku asked as he looked around at each of them. He turned back around after hearing boots slamming on the ground behind him.  
  
"Why Riku, can't you see that you're one of us?" The man asked, now standing in front of him.  
  
"Yeah, like family," The first guy chuckled as he draped his arm over Riku's shoulder lazily.  
  
"I'm not one of you, and I'm definitely not your family!" Riku yelled as he shock the man's arm off of him, "If I was I would disown you." This made them all of them laugh except the one who came in fourth, only the corner of his lip twitched, showing little amusement.  
  
"Riku," the fifth one sighed, "It's not that simple. You were destined to be one of us, and you always will be. There's no getting out of it. You are needed."  
  
"You told me that before, but you haven't explained to me why."  
  
"We're all like you, Riku. We are lost hearts, and together we serve the one who has saved us, the one who has a purpose for us. We're known as the Unknowns, or the lost ones, call us whatever you like." He explained, "It took us a while to find you, but our leader will be pleased that we did. Now you can take your place as 'The lost heart of Darkness'." Riku glanced around at them, hoping this was just a dream that he'd wake up from. He didn't want to be in this nightmare that was mocking him.  
  
"No... No, I'm not one of you!" Riku yelled, "I never will be!"  
  
"It's okay Riku, I didn't want to join at first either," The forth one said as he walked over to him, "But it's quite wonderful once you join. Our leader will increase your abilities-"  
  
"You'll become invincible," The third one added.  
  
"Here, take your weapon." Riku looked over at the fifth man to find his black Keyblade floating in between the man's black-gloved hands by an unseen force. Riku's eyes grew in horror as he backed away from it.  
  
"No... I thought I got rid of that. How did you get it?"   
  
"Our leader found it for you. Here take it."  
  
"Get that thing away from me!" Riku shouted as he ran out of the center of the circle they had created around him, "I want nothing to do with you, or that... that memory from hell you call a weapon!"  
  
"It's part of you Riku, get used to it," He laughed as he grabbed the handle and it disappeared. When it reappeared in Riku's hand he quickly tossed it to the ground and backed away from them even more.   
  
Riku then remembered about the vortex that he used to use to travel around and how he wasn't able to use it in that dark world, but maybe now since he was out of that strange place he could get away from these freaks. He didn't care where he was about to go as he summoned up the power to open a ripe in this world to another, and without a word he left through the vortex he had created. The others stood there in silence, a little stunned that he had left so soon. Didn't he want answers?  
  
"Well, that was awfully rude of him," The woman spat, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Our leader won't be very pleased in this," The fifth guy growled as he glared at the four people in front of him.  
  
"You want me to chase after him?" The first man asked.  
  
"No, leave him alone... for now," The man said as he turned and walked to the stairs, "We have more important things to deal with, like the plan that's in store for us." All of them fallowed the man and left the room without saying another word.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Once Riku exited the vortex he dropped to his knees, just the sight of that Keyblade brought back horrible memories. He knew he couldn't keep the memories and thoughts away; they would always be there. They would always be a part of him, like that damn Keyblade he was cursed with. Now, on top of all of that, he was this 'lost heart of darkness' person. Would he be forever cursed with the heartless? Was there no way of escaping? Like the darkness in Kingdom Hearts, he could never escape what fate had given him, or better yet what he had given himself.  
  
"I guess this is what I get for being so stupid." Riku cursed to himself some more as he stood and looked around at his new surroundings, "Where the hell am I now?" Riku looked up at the large, metal doors in front of him and above the doors there was a large neon sign that read "Skylight City". A bolt of lightning lit the dark night's cloudy sky fallowed by a clap of thunder. A drop of water, and then several more, hit Riku before a down poor started.  
  
"Some skylight," Riku mumbled before he pushed one of the doors open and walked in. Immediately tall buildings lit with lights and neon signs met him. The streets were empty and some stores were closing as he passed them by. At the moment he was looking for any place he could stay that was dry, but what place could he stay at that didn't ask for munny.   
  
As he passed by a window to one of the shops he noticed something different about him. He stopped to look at his reflection in the window, and indeed something had changed. His yellow top with the black back and his dark blue pants with the lighter colored blue baggy leggings were gone. Instead they where replaced with a black hooded zip-up robe, the ones the others at Hallow Bastion where wearing.  
  
"Were they actually so sure about me joining that they dressed me like them in my unconscious state?" Riku growled, "Did they really think I was that willing to join them as 'the lost heart of darkness'?" Riku took in closer inspection of himself to see he had a black eye and a cut on his left cheek that had long ago stopped bleeding, but left a trail of blood down his face. He wiped away the dry blood and continued walking, ignoring the pain in his left leg that caused him to walk oddly. Apparently he had other unseen injuries; he began to wonder how bad those where.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Riku had long ago given up on looking for any dry place, finding it impossible. He sat on top of what seemed like the tallest building in the city as he watched the lightning from the storm for entertainment. Sure he was wet, cold, and was extremely vulnerable to a virus, but he didn't really care anymore. He could leave any time he wanted to, thanks to his dark powers, but something was keeping him from leaving. He had this strange felling that something bad might happen, and he might be needed. Then again it could just be the bad storm, seeing as his world was destroyed after a terrible storm. Besides, what could he do to help in his condition, and if he were to leave, where would he go?  
  
As Riku sat there with his head leaning back, letting the rain hit his face, he could have sworn he heard heavy footsteps from below. He pushed the thought to the side thinking it was simply the rain, but he was soon proven wrong. A high-pitched scream made Riku bolt up from his relaxed position. Ignoring the pain he got up quickly and looked over the edge of the building. Down in what Riku assumed was the town square he saw a swarm of heartless and in the middle of them where two figures. One was a teenaged boy with wild shaggy blond hair and the other was a red headed girl that looked around the same age. The boy looked ready to fight off any heartless that jumped at him while the girl held onto the back of his shirt scared out of her mind.  
  
Riku stepped up the edge and glanced down at the two. He slightly smiled thinking that staying just a little longer wasn't a bad idea after all, and that now maybe he could do some good. He decided to wait and see if he was needed, after all he didn't want to damage himself any further. Besides, he might not even be need. All at once the heartless jumped at the two, and the battle started.  
  
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Author: Look! Look! I got a review! *Bounces up and down*  
  
Riku: I told you someone saw me! *Glares* And look, you even made this chapter a cliffhanger. You're evil.  
  
Author: But if I can't make cliffhangers then what fun is it to be an author?  
  
Riku: True, but then again, who said you where an author.  
  
Author: *Gives Riku a hatful glare* Oh yeah! Well, who said you... you... I hate you. *Turns her back to Riku and sulks*  
  
Riku: You weren't supposed to review! I would have felt much better if you didn't. And why are you complementing her? You're supposed to yell hateful things about her hurting me! *Gets hit with a pillow*  
  
Author: You dork! Stop pestering my only reviewer! *Glares* Anyway, thank you very much for the review duos-deathscythe you're the best! ^-^ For any new reviewers that happen to show up-  
  
Riku: Though I doubt any will-  
  
Author: You need to cheek out duos-deathscythe's story "Nothing's Like Before". It's a whole lot better than mine, and Riku's it! Don't you feel special Riku?  
  
Riku: Not real- *Gets hit by a pillow* ... Oh yes, so special... -_-   
  
Author: So once again thanks for the review duos-deathscythe! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. ^-^ And to any new reviewer-  
  
Riku: Don't push your luck. *Demon sighs and starts to sulk in her own little corner* 


	3. Chapter 2

The Darkness Within  
  
Chapter 2: The letter  
  
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The very second the heartless unleashed their attack on the two, the boy unclenched his fists and in a silvery light a Keyblade appeared in each hand. Riku stood and watched as both of them held their ground quite well against the heartless. The boy ran through the crowd of heartless swatting them away like they were nothing to him, with the help of his Keyblades. While the girl used her very own two fists and feet, throwing vicious punches and kicks at the heartless in what looked to be a nonstop dance. Riku had to admit that they were doing extremely good, but a few questions bothered him. Who was this boy, and how did he get two Keyblades? Riku could have sworn only him, Sora, and King Mickey were Keyblade wielders.  
  
As Riku watched the battle continue he noticed no matter how many heartless the two killed, more just kept coming back. Knowing that the two couldn't keep it up by themselves, Riku walked up to the very edge of the building and held out his arms, as if reaching for the clouded sky. The heartless began to drop their guard as their long antennas began to twitch. The boy and girl both stopped and watched as the heartless just stood there doing nothing but staring up at the sky. Curiosity got the best of them, and they too looked up at the sky. Their eyes eventual fell upon the silver haired boy on top of the building, and they became oblivious to the fact that the number of heartless began to decrease.  
  
Riku grunted as he tried to dismiss the heartless, but it was getting harder. Eventually, he let his arms drop, giving up on trying to get ride of them, something he never did. What was wrong with him? Was he really losing his powers? At least he helped a little by lowering the number that the two had to fight, but this just wasn't enough for him. He wanted to help even more. He wanted to repent for all the wrongs he had done, so without hesitation he dove off the building's ledge.   
  
Both gasped as they watched him plummet to the ground headfirst praying that he'd sprout wings and fly before he hit the ground. The heartless easily managed pulled their yellow glowing eyes away from the falling boy and back to their pray as they began another attack. Neither one of the two were expecting the heartless to resume the attack so fast, and were caught completely off guard, getting slashed at by all directions. The girl screamed as a heartless jumped on top of her and stabbed a black claw into her left shoulder. Only the nails of its claws had time to tear into the flesh before the boy swung a Keyblade out and slice it in half with little effort. Before the girl had time to get up more heartless piled onto her, tearing her shirt and flesh, creating small minor, but painful, cuts on her skin.  
  
The girl screamed in agony as she punched several off of her and kicked at a few more, but it wasn't stopping them. The boy was to involved with his own problems to help the girl, seeing as he too was getting piled on by heartless. While this was going on, the silver haired boy had landed safely on the ground by jumping on ledges midway into his fall to slow him down. He was a black blur running through the heartless as he made his way to the girl. With little to no effort he pulled the heartless away from her and attacked them with his own two fists. Sure he was in no condition what so ever to fight, but he showed no pain nor mercy as he lashed out violent punches and kicks to the heartless, keeping them well away from the girl.  
  
Over time every heartless in the town square had been defeated leaving the three in a bloody and tiered state. The girl slowly rose to her feet and looked around, it was like nothing had ever happened. Riku looked over at the two seeing both horror and shock in their eyes as the three of them stood in silence. The rain never lightened up the entire time as it beat down on them, washing the blood off their faces, arms, clothes, just anywhere that was bleeding at the moment.  
  
"Thank you." The girl said as she broke through the silence, holding her shoulder to try and stop the blood from spilling even more. Riku looked over at her and faintly smiled.  
  
"Well..." The blond headed boy sighed, running a hand through his wild hair, "That's a experience I never want to go through again." He turned to the two and stared at them with his dark blue eyes.  
  
"Same here," The girl said as she pushed a lock of her wet copper colored hair behind her ear. She looked over at where Riku once stood, but he was gone. Franticly, she searched around her with her bright green eyes and eventually found him walking away and into an ally, "Wait! Where are you going?" Riku turned and simply shrugged his shoulders, ignoring the sharp pain that he felt afterwards.  
  
"I don't know," Riku replied.  
  
"What do you mean you don't know?" She asked.  
  
"I shouldn't have to explain it." Riku spat, "I meant exactly what I said."  
  
"Do you have nowhere else to go as well?" The boy asked. Riku looked over at him and wondered about what he had meant by that.  
  
"I can go anywhere I please."  
  
"Do you have a place stay?" The girl asked.  
  
"No, not really."  
  
"Then why don't you come home with me? You can dry off, sleep in a nice bed, have breakfast in the morning, and then leave if you please. It's the least I can do to repay you for saving me," The girl offered, "I have potions that'll heal you as well. That eye and leg of yours don't look to good." It's true, Riku was now limping on his left leg, finding it useless to try and hid his injury.  
  
"How long will I be able to stay?"  
  
"As long as you want."  
  
"How much?"  
  
"There's not cost." The girl said as she lightly laughed at him, "I told you I was repaying you for saving me, so why would I make you pay?"  
  
"...Okay," Riku said as he limped back over to the two, "So do you have a name?"  
  
"I'm Jetta, and this is my friend Neron," She said as she pointed to the boy behind her.  
  
"We only met a minute or two ago. I don't know her," Neron said truthfully, receiving a small smile from Riku.  
  
"Neron's staying at my house as well, he saved me too," Jetta said with a smile, "So either I'm extremely lucky, or extremely unlucky."  
  
"What?" Neron asked as if offended.  
  
"Extremely lucky for getting saved, and extremely unlucky for nearly getting killed twice in a fifteen minute period of time," Jetta explained.  
  
"Um... I don't mean to be rude or anything, but can we please get to your house? I really want out of the rain," Riku said.  
  
"Yeah sure, fallow me," Jetta said as she walked off, but then stopped just as soon as she started.  
  
"Something wrong?" Neron asked slightly confused after almost running into her. Jetta turned around to face the silver haired boy and frowned.  
  
"Somehow I never got your name," Jetta said, pointing to the silver haired boy.  
  
"Riku." Jetta smiled.   
  
"My house isn't to far away, do you think you can make it?" Riku gave her a nod. He never liked getting help from others, just the though of him being helped in any way made him seem weak. Old habits do die hard after all.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Purple high heal shoes clicked against the stone floor as a duck dressed in a beautiful purple gown ran down a long white hall. In her hand she carried an envelope sealed with a mouse head. She hurried down the hall as fast as her legs could take her, and finally she had made it to a large pair of purple doors. She knocked loudly as a smaller door opened, just around her size.  
  
"Queen Minnie!" She yelled, running down a long red carpet. A little ways ahead of her was a thrown and in it was a mouse dressed in the most elegant looking pink gown.  
  
"What is it Daisy?" The queen asked, slowly standing and walking a little ways out to her duck friend.  
  
"A letter has arrived! It's from the king!" Daisy shouted with excitement as she slowed down to a stop and handed her the letter, panting slightly.  
  
"Are you sure?" The queen asked, taking the note.  
  
"It has his seal," Daisy said. Queen Minnie looked at the letter and was slightly confused to find it already open, but she didn't ask any questions. Her smile soon faded as she read on.  
  
"This isn't addressed for me," Queen Minnie said as she read the letter.  
  
"What do you mean?" Daisy asked, looking over her shoulder to read it.  
  
Keybarer,  
  
I'm glad you helped me seal the door to Kingdom Hearts, but I'm sorry to tell you that there might be more for you to do. I've been in Kingdom Hearts for quite some time waitin' for your arrival, but I must stay in Kingdom Hearts to study it further. I feel as if a more dangerous problem is arisin', but I can't be quite sure of that yet. The heartless are acting strangely. If only I knew what they were up to. There is another Keyblade master out there, and I need you to find that person. You will need all the help you can get. I wish I could tell you what is in store for you, but even I'm not sure what's happinein'.  
  
PS: Good luck.  
  
  
  
King Mickey.  
  
"How did you get this, Daisy?"  
  
"Pluto."  
  
"Impossible. Pluto went with Donald and Goofy."  
  
"Are...are you sure?" Daisy asked, "Because Pluto nearly knocked me down in the hall just a moment ago."  
  
"I'm positive he jumped on that Gummi ship with them."  
  
"Then how did he-" The sounds of footsteps coming into the room made Daisy go silent. They both looked over to the door and gasped.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Home sweet home!" Jetta shouted as she opened the door to a dark room. Jetta slid her hand up the wall, as she searched for the light switch, finally succeeding. The light flicked on and the three of them where standing in a kitchen. Jetta's home was in an apartment building, and sure it was a little small, but it was decent. Smiling, Jetta kicked the door closed and walked past the two.  
  
"You two stay here while I go and find you something to ware. I don't need three people drip-drying in my living room."  
  
"What do you have that we could ware?" Neron asked.  
  
"Well...Promise you wont laugh?" Riku and Neron exchanged a confused glace before they answer her.  
  
"Sure, whatever," Neron answered as Riku gave a slight nod of his head for his answer.  
  
"I sleep in boxers," Jetta said receiving a few questioning looks from the two boys before Jetta quickly added, "And a shirt."  
  
"So..." Neron said, not really caring.  
  
"Normally people laugh at me when I tell them that. You know, since guys are the ones who normally ware them," Jetta said. She stopped, as if waiting for Neron or Riku to say some, but they didn't, "...Anyway let me go find you two some clothes... and a towel or two. Maybe I should get some bandages as well." Quickly Jetta fled the room to go further into her home mumbling about a few more things she needed to search for.  
  
"She's odd," Neron whispered to Riku. The silver haired boy simply shrugged his shoulders, not sure what to think about her.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
"Give it!" Neron yelled.  
  
"No!" Riku yelled back.  
  
"I saw it first!"  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Did to!"  
  
"If you saw it first then why didn't you take it before I got it?"  
  
"Because I wanted to see what the others looked like first."  
  
"Come on guys, its just boxers," Jetta sighed, "What about these, there nice and comfy." Riku and Neron looked over at what Jetta was holding. Black boxers with smiley faces on them. Acting like they never heard Jetta they continued the tug-o-war on the black flaming boxers.  
  
"Let go!" Riku shouted.  
  
"You let go!" Jetta smiled as she held up another pair of her boxers with pink and red hearts all over them.  
  
"What about-"  
  
"No!" both of them yelled before they continued to fight over the one pair.  
  
"You guys need to hurry and decide. Standing there in your wet close isn't going to improve your health you know. Besides, if you continue this pointless like fight you'll only hurt yourselves even more-"   
  
"Don't make me give you another black eye!" Neron yelled. Apparently they where trying to ignore Jetta now.  
  
"I'd like to see you try!" Riku spat.  
  
"I'd be glad to-" Both boys immediately stopped when the boxers they where fighting over were pulled out of their hands.  
  
"There will be no fighting in my house," Jetta said with a stern glare, "Anyway, I've got a better way to settle this little argument." Jetta's glare immediately turning into a smile, one that the boys didn't trust too much.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"I told you I never lose" Riku smirked as he took the boxers out of Jetta's hands.  
  
"But... I meant to put out paper I swear," Neron said.  
  
"To bad."  
  
"Come on, let's do a best two out of three."  
  
"No, we already agreed on one round of rock-paper-scissors, and I won," Riku said with a proud smile, "Where's your bathroom at?"  
  
"Down the hall and to the left," Jetta answer as Riku walked out of the kitchen.   
  
"Remember to wrap up your severe wounds with the gauze I laid out. I don't want you bleeding all over my favorite pair of boxers."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Riku replied waving his hand in the air telling her he had it under control.  
  
"Now Neron, which pair do you want?" Neron grimaced at his choices but eventually chose the one with the smiley faces on them. It was that or the pair with the hearts, a Christmas pair that had little cute penguins and snowmen printed on them, a plain purple pair, and the last one was just a swirl of several different colors. Neron guessed it was okay since only Jetta and Riku would be the only ones seeing him in them. This thought made him feel a little better about losing, even if losing was something he didn't take lightly.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: Yep I've got something to disclaim in this chapter, and that's Neron. I don't own him, but I know he's at least see in the next game. I'm pretty darn sure his name isn't Neron; I just gave him that name so he'd have one, and no I don't know his real name. If I did I'd call him by it in the story. *Grins* I don't own the world either. If you've noticed I based it off the secret clip at the end of the game. I think that's all I need to disclaim.  
  
Author: Another chapter completed. *Grins* I'm so proud of myself. And oh look I got, not one, but two new reviewers. *Bounces around the room*   
  
Riku: *sighs* Yippee... more people who saw me in agonizing pain during the prolog.  
  
Author: I know. It's so great. Well... I was going to answer your question zilly... but it seams you worked it out. ^-^ That's good, cause all I had where some helpful tips.  
  
Riku: You wouldn't want them; she'd probably just ruin your story as well.  
  
Author: Shut up! Anyway, thanks for the wonderful reviews. I'm so excited that I got two new reviewers. *Squeals with delight* By the way, to any new reviewer that comes along-  
  
Riku: Your pushing your luck again.  
  
Author: *Glares* It worked last time! Check out zilly's Kingdom Hearts story called "Lost Without You". It's really good. ^-^ Well, I'm done rambling so you can now review. I know you want to.  
  
Riku: How?   
  
Author: It's an author's intuition.  
  
Riku: I though we went over that last chapter. *sighs* You're not an author.  
  
Author: *Glares* You're such a jerk! *stomps out of the room*   
  
Riku: *Looks around the room, now bored* Well, I guess I'll have to see you people later then. *Mumbles* Just great. *gets hit by a pillow*  
  
Author: I told you to leave my reviewers alone! *Riku growls and crosses his arms over his chest* See ya later my kind reviewers! ^-^ 


	4. Chapter 3

The Darkness Within  
  
Chapter 3: An Explanation  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The two boys sat at the kitchen table and watched Jetta rummage through the cabinets, for what was another question. Everyone had changed out of their wet clothes and into and new pair. Riku was in the flaming boxers with a black shirt, while Neron sat across the table from Riku in the smiley-faced boxers and a white shirt. Jetta had put on the boxers with the hearts, since she felt no shame in wearing them, and a red tank top with a white under shirt.  
  
"What are you looking for?" Neron finally asked, after wondering for so long.  
  
"I'm looking for the first aid kit, it's where I keep all of my potions," Jetta answer.  
  
"Shouldn't a first aid kit go in the bathroom?" Riku asked.  
  
"I just think it's more convenient in the kitchen," Jetta answered, "If you get hurt out side you just come in here and grab the kit since this is the first room you enter."  
  
"But what if you hurt yourself in your bedroom, then you have to go all the way through your apartment to reach it," Neron said.  
  
"My apartment's not that big," Jetta said, you could tell by her tone she was getting frustrated, "Damn it, where'd I put it!"  
  
"Well, I'm sure we all know that if it was a bad injury you'd most likely die before you found the kit," Riku spat receiving a small chuckle from Neron.  
  
"Bit me, Riku!"   
  
"Hey Neron, can I ask you something?" Riku asked.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"How did you get those weapons?"  
  
"They just kind of appeared outta nowhere."  
  
"That's odd," Jetta commented.  
  
"When did you get them?" Riku asked.  
  
"Yesterday... at least I think it was yesterday..." Neron trailed off as he tried to remember.  
  
"I found him unconscious in an alley on the east side of town before those strange things-"  
  
"Heartless."  
  
"What?" They both asked.  
  
"That's what the creatures are called," Riku answered, "They're named that because they have no heart, so they steal them from other people." Riku paused before he looked across the table at Neron, "Are you from around here?"  
  
"No, I've never seen this place in my life. It's like-"  
  
"A whole different world?" Riku finished.  
  
"...Yeah."  
  
"Where are you from?"  
  
"Twilight Town," Neron answered.  
  
"Never heard of it," Jetta said already forgetting that she was looking for the first aid kit.  
  
"Before you woke up here, did your town start to get over-run by the heartless?"  
  
"Yeah, how'd you know?"  
  
"And when the heartless came that's when you also got your weapons?"  
  
"Yeah, what are you? Some kind of psychic?"  
  
"No, the very same thing happened to me," Riku said as he looked away, "Your weapons, they have a name. Do you know it?"  
  
"No."  
  
"It's a Keyblade."  
  
"Keyblade..." Neron repeated as he stared down at the wooden table in concentration.  
  
"I'm guessing you don't know what kind of powers it has either then, do you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"It holds the power to defeat the heartless, and they'll do anything to take that away from you. They'll come after it out of nowhere, no matter where you are, even if they get destroyed during the process."  
  
"They don't sound very smart," Jetta said.  
  
"Trust me, they're not as stupid as they sound. I've seen what they're capable of."   
  
"How do you know so much about them?" Jetta asked.  
  
"Well, when you're locked up with them for around a year you can't help but learn about them."  
  
"A year!" Neron and Jetta shouted with surprise.  
  
"How did you survive?" Jetta added.  
  
"It's a long story."  
  
"I've got time." Riku let out a low sigh.  
  
"I got trapped behind this door, it's called Kingdom Hearts. Behind this door is the world where darkness begins, it's where it lives, and grows. You could say it's the home to the heartless. I couldn't get out because only darkness can pass through the doors, so when my friend closed the door I was trapped."  
  
"Did he know he closed you in?" Jetta asked.  
  
"Yes, I told him to," Riku said, "If he didn't then the heartless would escape."  
  
"But... how did you survive for a year? Wouldn't you need food and water? Was there even anything behind the door?" Neron asked.  
  
"That's the worst part about that place. You don't need to eat, drink, or even sleep in that world. It's like the darkness itself is feeding you, keeping you alive just to let you wander in darkness forever. There's no light, and I doubt there's even an exit. All you could do was search in complete darkness for some way out. If I was alone then I'm sure I would have killed myself, or gone crazy, either one."  
  
"Someone was with you?"  
  
"Yeah, King Mickey, or if he told you other wise, just Mickey," Riku said, "He had a Keyblade too, but just one."  
  
"A King... Wow! So where is he now? Did he have to go back to his castle, or something like that?" Jetta asked.  
  
"No, I was taken from Kingdom Hearts by some strange man, and Mickey... was left behind I guess," Riku said as he lowered his head.  
  
"Is that why you're so banged up? I know it wasn't from fighting the heartless just a little while ago," Neron said, "You've got some awesome fighting skills." Riku smirked as he lifted his head.  
  
"Yeah, it's from him," Riku said as he glanced over at Jetta, "Not to be rude, but aren't you supposed to be looking for something?"  
  
"Oh yeah!" Jetta hopped off the counter and started to look through the lower cabinets.  
  
"Do my Keyblades do anything else besides fighting the heartless off?" Neron asked.  
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact they do," Riku said as his gaze switched to Neron, "The Keyblade can open any locked door or chest you may come across, hence the word 'key' in Keyblade. It also locks the Keyholes."  
  
"Keyholes?"  
  
"Every world has a Keyhole, it's like a gate way to the center of the world. That's where the world's heart lies. Every world has one." Neron blinked a few times as he gave Riku a confused look.  
  
"You lost me."  
  
"I thought so," Riku slightly laughed.  
  
"Found it!" Jetta shouted, "It was in a pot. Could you believe that?"  
  
"Yep," Neron said. Jetta glared at him as she sat the first aid kit on the table.  
  
"You're going last," Jetta spat before she looked over at Riku, "What's all this talk about other worlds?"  
  
"I really shouldn't have said anything, but there are other worlds besides this one," Riku said.  
  
"Shouldn't have said anything... What do you mean?" Jetta asked as she opened the box.  
  
"All I really know is that the worlds aren't supposed to be connected and when the heartless are on the run they become connected. If other people knew about the other worlds then they might want to go and see them, and it's not good to mix people from different worlds together," Riku said as he tried to explain, but even he didn't understand it to well.  
  
"Okay... so are you planning on going to the other worlds while they're connected?" Jetta asked.  
  
"I have to... well, more like Neron has to."  
  
"What? Why me?" Neron asked.  
  
"You have the Keyblades. You need to seal the Keyholes so the heartless won't destroy the world. Like I said before the Keyhole is the connection to the center of the world and if you don't seal it before the heartless find it the world will be destroyed. My friend had to do the same thing." Riku said as he looked away.  
  
"Well, your friend did it before, he can do it again." Neron spat.  
  
"What if he's not around to do it this time? It'll be you're fault that countless worlds are destroyed! Do you want that pined against you?" Riku didn't like what he had said, and knew that his spiky-haired friend was out there somewhere, he just didn't know exactly where. In case of the event that he really wasn't around, he needed to make sure that Neron would be where help was needed.   
  
"You know so much about this then you go do it!" Neron yelled as he tossed the Keyblades at him, but as soon as Riku caught them they reappeared back into Neron's hands.  
  
"The Keyblades have already chosen its master," Riku said as Neron stared down at his Keyblades in amazement, "And that master is you." Riku sighed as he shook his head, sure he was a Keyblade master as well, but apparently Neron's heart was stronger.  
  
"B-but... how?" Neron stammered in complete shock.  
  
"You're lucky in a way. You've got the greatest weapons of all, but with that comes a great responsibility, the heartless. I had the chance to have that power, but I blew it by picking the wrong side at the wrong time." Riku sighed, leaning back in his chair, "I lived on a little island out in the middle of the ocean with a few friends, two that were really close to me, and we would always wonder if there were other worlds around us. My world was soon destroyed by the heartless, and I chose to be taken by darkness, claming I wasn't afraid." Riku stopped, but the look in his eyes said he wasn't finished.  
  
"It was that very moment when darkness was taking me and my best friend, Sora, that the Keyblade would chose its master. I was willing to give up my way of life to see other places, but I guess Sora didn't and started to fight his way out of the darkness. I was the real Keyblade master, but by choosing darkness it chose Sora instead. I learned later on that the Keyblade also searches for the one with the strongest heart, and when I found that out it made me feel extremely weak. I think that's why it bothered me so much that Sora got the Keyblade and I didn't." Riku let out a heavy sigh as he sat up strait and slightly shook his head. He had let his thoughts drift and wasn't talking to them anymore, "Sorry about that. I kind of strayed from the conversation."  
  
"So you're telling me that you're a Keyblade master too?" Neron asked.  
  
"To an extent yes, but I'm not really one since I don't have a Keyblade of my own," Riku lied. He knew he had one, but who in their right mind would ever want to clam a Keyblade that opened the darkness in anyone's heart. Riku sure as hell didn't want to be that person.  
  
"So where's Sora now?" Jetta asked.  
  
"...I don't know."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Donald!" Daisy gasped. She couldn't believe that Donald had returned, and not just him, Goofy too, "Is it really you, Donald?"  
  
"The one and only," He quaked. Daisy was on the verge of tears as she ran into his arms, knocking him flat on his back. Goofy chuckled along with another person standing behind him.  
  
"It's nice to see that you have returned safely," Queen Minnie said, walking up to them, "Is this the Keyblade master that I have heard so much about?"  
  
"Yep... I mean yes, you're Majesty." Goofy said as he took a bow. Sora stepped out from behind Goofy and smiled warmly at the queen taking a clumsy looking bow as well. Over the one-year period of time the spiky-haired boy had grown a lot, even his hair had turned a few lighter shades of brown. He still wore his red jumpsuit with the blue pullover jacket, but since he had grown they had become a little too small for him. Not only that but they where torn and ragged from the many battles he had been in.   
  
His bright blue eyes started to scan the room in amazement as he stared up at the tall ceiling above him. With his mouth agape he continued to look around, that is until Donald cleared his throat roughly, catching the boy's attention. Sora's eyes feel on Donald's feathered finger that was pointing at the Queen. When Sora fallowed his finger he found that the Queen was trying to hand him the letter.  
  
"I think this belongs to you."  
  
"Oh!" He exclaimed, taking the letter, "Sorry about that."  
  
"It's quite alright," Queen Minnie said with a warm smile.  
  
"That… silly dog-"  
  
"Pluto," Donald corrected.  
  
"Right, Pluto took it from me," Sora said as he scratched the back of his head while cramming the letter into his pocket. Sora began to look around the room again as he started to wander off to look at the large thrown.  
  
"Donald?" Queen Minnie whispered as she leaned over towards him, "The boy seems a little distracted, is this how he always is?" Donald shook his head and frowned.  
  
"Something happened after we sealed the door. He began to lose his memory the longer we stayed on this strange remote world. Slowly day after day he'd forget more and more things, he eventually got to the point where he forgot who we were, and even his own name," Donald explained.  
  
"We've been tryin' to help him regain his memory, but nothin' seems to ring a bell in his head," Goofy said, "He's regained a little about Ansem and the heartless, but that's about it. We're the only people he can remember."  
  
"We'd like to help him more but we don't know what his world was like, or his other friends," Donald sighed, "All we could tell him was that he lived on an island."  
  
"That's horrible! The poor boy, it must be so hard," Daisy sighed as she looked over towards Sora's direction to find him playing with Pluto.  
  
"Sora?" The Queen said, getting the boy's attention, "Did you read that letter?"  
  
"Yeah," Sora said as he pulled it out of his pocket, "But it didn't really make much since to me." Sora frowned as he looked down at the red carpet below him, obviously frustrated.  
  
"I'm sure if I could remember more then it would make more since," Sora sighed, and the room fell silent for a moment or two before he spoke up again, "Keyblade master... Donald and Goofy keep telling me that's what I am, but I don't know what that is. Every time it's explained to me I just get more and more confused."  
  
"What about your Keyblade? Surely you have it with you." Sora simply shrugged his shoulders at the Queen, as if not understanding.  
  
"He doesn't remember how to summon it since he doesn't know what it is," Donald explained.  
  
"Oh, well, I hate to change the subject so abruptly, but how did you get here?" The Queen asked.  
  
"We still had our Gummi blocks so we decided to build ourselves another ship, but with Kingdom Hearts closed the worlds weren't supposed to be connected," Donald quaked.  
  
"But before we left we started to see heartless, and with Sora out of commission we had to leave fast," Goofy added, "We knew since the heartless were around we could leave."  
  
"We're starting to believe that maybe we didn't really close Kingdom Hearts, but that would be imposable, right?" Donald continued after he shook his head in frustration, "If you read the note it says there's another Keyblade master. We though maybe the King was talking about that one boy... Riku was it?" Goofy thought for a moment and then gave the duck a head nod, still not sure if that was his name.  
  
"One of the friends Sora was lookin' for, but he can't remember him either, can you?" Sora solemnly shook his head no; disappointed that he couldn't even remember one of his own friends.  
  
"Then again, it could be someone entirely different," Donald added with a quake.  
  
"We stopped by to pick up a few Gummi ship parts," Goofy said.  
  
"Like a gun," Donald sighed, "You never realize how much you need that thing until you don't have one. I'm surprised we made it here in one piece."  
  
"Well, I hope we have one." Daisy stated.  
  
"What do you mean?" Goofy asked.  
  
"We kind of sent someone to look for you guys. We gave him most of the supplies." Daisy said, "We sent him off three days ago because we saw a star disappear that night. That's when we started to get worried."  
  
"Who did you send?" Donald asked not knowing anyone at the castle in mind.  
  
"Max." Queen Minnie answered.  
  
"... My Max?" Goofy asked a bit surprised.  
  
"Yes. He didn't really want to go at first, but he finally decided to after Chip and Dale gave him a list of things to do." Queen Minnie said with a small smile.  
  
"That's Max for you," Donald sighed, rubbing his temples in frustration.  
  
"...Who's Max?" Sora asked out of curiosity, felling a bit left out, then again he was feeling like that a lot lately.  
  
"My son," Goofy answered.  
  
"Really?" Sora was slightly surprised, he had no clue Goofy had a son, of course he didn't know a lot of things now, "Is he a knight like you?"  
  
"No, he's not much of a fighter, but he's the best Gummi ship repairman there is. I'm surprised Chip and Dale let him go," Goofy said.  
  
"He's a repairman? What's he supposed to do hit the heartless with a wrench?" Sora asked slightly surprised.  
  
"He can do magic," Daisy answered, "Donald taught him."  
  
"He wasn't good at it, but at least it's something," Donald said. Sora didn't really think it was something if he wasn't good at it, but what's done is done, and he couldn't change that. He just hoped this Max person wouldn't be getting into to much danger.  
  
"We should go find him," Sora proclaimed, "Don't want him getting hurt on our behalf."  
  
"True," Donald said, "We'll get the Gummi Ship into tip top shape in no time."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"If your world was destroyed after the heartless came, then does that mean my world's gone as well?" Neron asked as he swirled a glowing lime green liquid around in a bottle, almost afraid of what Riku's answer would be.  
  
"I wouldn't doubt it," Riku said after he drank a hi-potion in one swallow. His cuts slowly faded away and his black eye returned to normal. He felt extremely better after this, but that one potion wasn't enough; his shoulders and back were still hurting pretty bad.  
  
"Why would they want to destroy a world?" Jetta asked before she drank a potion to cure herself.  
  
"...Well, we all know humans have hearts... but would you believe the world has one too?"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah. It doesn't matter where the heart comes from to them, just as long as it's a heart."   
  
"Well, at least we know they're not picky," Jetta stated.  
  
"That's why you need to seal the Keyholes. The heart is in the center of the world, and when a heartless get that... it's over," Riku said.  
  
"And how do you suggest we go to other worlds?" Neron asked. Riku looked down at the table with a low sigh he didn't want to tell them he had dark powers. He didn't want to start using his powers again anyway. He was afraid that if he'd get to attached to them then he'd get pulled back into darkness, so he answered the best he could.  
  
"We'll need a ship built from gummi blocks." Riku got a strange look from both of them.  
  
"Gummi blocks?" Jetta asked.  
  
"Yes, it's some kind of strange substance that allows you to drive through space to other worlds," Riku said as he pondered for a moment, "I once heard that the blocks where made out of pieces from the wall that keeps the worlds separated. It makes since when you think about it because it's an outer world substance so a ship made from it should allow you to travel through space, right?" Jetta smiled and gave Riku a head nod, letting him know she understood.  
  
"And how are we going to find these... gummi blocks?" Neron asked.  
  
"...Well, that's a very good question. One that I can't answer at the moment." Both Jetta and Neron sighed.  
  
"Let me get this strait, you two are going to leave this world and go to others?" Jetta asked, as if trying to convince herself.  
  
"Yes... once we find a way of course." Riku said.  
  
"Take me with you."  
  
"What?" Riku asked, slightly surprised.  
  
"Please, I want off this world so bad. You don't know what it's like living in this dull place all of your life. It's the same thing day in and day out and I can't take it anymore. Please take me with you," Jetta begged.  
  
"I'm sorry, but we cant."  
  
"I'll be good, I wont tell the people there that we're from another world. I can keep secrets very well," Jetta continued to beg.  
  
"I'm sorry, but no."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because..."  
  
"Because why?" Jetta asked getting extremely angry with him because he wouldn't give her a strait and to the point answer.  
  
"Because you're annoying," Neron spat.  
  
"Not half as annoying as you!" Jetta yelled.  
  
"Look I'll think about it okay," Riku said, trying to stop them from fighting anymore.  
  
"There's nothing to think about. I'm the Keyblade master, making me in charge, so I say you can't come." Neron said as he glared at her, but she just glared back. Obviously Riku hadn't stopped the fight like he planed.  
  
"Give an arrogant jerk power and he becomes the almighty ass with a big ego," Jetta spat.  
  
"Better a jerk than a little annoying brat."  
  
"If you want to sleep in a nice, warm, dry house then I suggest you shut up and leave me alone!" Jetta yelled, "And if you don't drink that potion I'll shove it down your throat myself. It's not poisoned, so stop acting like it is!" Neron growled as he drank the potion and sat the bottle down on the table. Both boys were extremely silent and though they didn't want to say it, they were frightened of her at the moment.  
  
"Are you going to take me or what?" Jetta asked as she tapped her foot impatiently. They were silent a moment longer before Riku got brave enough to speak.  
  
"No means no Jetta," Riku said calmly, trying his best not to make it sound so harsh.  
  
"Fine, you leave me with no other choice," Jetta said as she crossed her arms, "If you don't take me then I'll just have to tell as many people as I can about the other worlds and about these gummi blocks so they can go there."  
  
"You wouldn't?" Riku asked, knowing that the face she was giving him was one hundred percent serious.  
  
"Why wouldn't I?" Jetta asked.  
  
"But that's blackmail!" Neron shouted.  
  
"Tough" Jetta shouted, "You said I was a little annoying brat, so I'm going to be one until you agree on taking me. But be warned now, if you only agree to get me to shut up and leave me behind later on the price will be very painful, and trust me I can do painful."  
  
"Oh really?" Neron said with a bit of smug confidence in his voice. Jetta walked over to him and held her hand out in front of his face. In an instant her hand lit on fire scaring Neron out of his mind as he tried to back away, but only succeeded in falling backwards in his chair. He landed with a thump and it took Riku a lot to stop himself from laughing at the poor boy.  
  
"Okay, you can come," Riku said.  
  
"Really?" Jetta asked in a non-believing tone.  
  
"Sure, you've got a pretty cool talent, could come in handy during battles," Riku answered. Jetta's smile turned into a grin as she ran over a hugged Riku giggling happily.  
  
"Thank you Riku!"  
  
"Jetta, ow... that hurts," Riku said as he tried to ignore the pain that was surging from his back.  
  
"Riku, are you still hurt?" Jetta asked as she pulled away quickly.  
  
"A little."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Neron pulled himself up off the floor and glared at Riku from across the table. Riku could tell he was extremely pissed at him for letting Jetta come along, but he knew that this strange girl had some good fighting talent, and would be a big help against the heartless later on. Neron just didn't see that in her, or he was just afraid to admit it out loud.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author: Wow! I amaze myself at how long this chapter was. I'm so proud. ^-^ Oh and thank you so much Inuyasha's apprentice, I was actually thinking I was spelling things right. Kinda scared me cause I know I'm bad at spelling, LOL. It'd really help, a ton, if you'd tell me what I spelled wrong cause normally I don't catch my own mistakes.  
  
Riku: I thought as much. This whole story's a mistake.  
  
Sora: Now that wasn't very nice.  
  
Author: ...Sora? o.O Where did you... *Glares at Riku*  
  
Riku: *Smirks* Apparently Squaresoft doesn't give a shit about me, so I decided to bring Sora out here. That way you'll get in even more trouble.  
  
Random person: Do you own Sora?  
  
Author: *Glares* Did I not make it perfectly clear in the first chapter-  
  
Riku: Prolog.  
  
Author: Whatever! That I do not, I repeat, DO NOT own Kingdome Hearts. That includes Sora, Riku, or anyone else that Riku decides to drag to my house.  
  
Riku: Does this mean I can invite more people over?  
  
Author: Hell no!  
  
Sora: *Whispering to the Random person* I think she's a little mad, so I'd be leaving if I where you. Girls are pretty scary when they're mad. *Random person flees the room*  
  
Author: So anyway it looks like I got three new reviewers, cool. I suggest to anyone who happens to come along to go and check out the stories of both Inuyasha's assistant, and Mizutaka. I'd tell them to go look at your stories animefreak321654, but you don't seem to have any at the moment, but that's okay, I love ya anyway for the wonderful review. *Grins* Anyway, they've got some real good ones, and I mean real good ones, with Riku.  
  
Riku: I feel so special.  
  
Author: By the way, while it's still fresh in my head, the whole Sora losing his memory is something I read about on some website... forgot which one it was. If I remember I'll tell ya. So anyway, it said he loses his memory in the "Chain of Memories" game coming out on the GBA. I thought it would be fun to toss in that and have a little fun with Sora restoring his memory. *Grins*  
  
Sora: Should I be worried? *Riku nods his head*  
  
Author: *Sighs* Well, it looks like I've got to deal with not one, but two people now. *Mumbles* At least Sora's nice. Anyway, thanks a ton for the reviews you wonderful people. I hope to hear from you all again soon. ^-^  
  
Sora: Have a nice day! *Waves as he bounces on Demon's bed* 


	5. Chapter 4

The Darkness Within  
  
Chapter 4: The Heartless attack  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Where did you send Max? Maybe we can catch up to him." Sora asked standing next to Daisy and Queen Minnie in the Gummi ship garage. Daisy had, kindly, taken the liberty of making him an entirely new out fit, since his other one was so small and tattered.  
  
They were the same style of clothes but instead of bright vibrant colors they were switched to black, gray, and navy. Just so he would still have some color Daisy used yellow and red to contrasted with the black. There were yellow belts around his waist and legs, and small red sacks by his pockets so he could carry more things. She also gave him new black gloves with snap on metal knuckles and some new yellow shoes, a bit smaller than his other ones. He still had on the crown chain necklace, not wanting to leave it out of his ensemble, since he liked it so much. He often found himself playing with it when he got bored.  
  
"We sent him to a world called Skylight City, it's a big world." Daisy warned.  
  
"We can handle it." Donald said with a smile, "But you could have just sent him to Traverse Town like you did with us last time. At least then we would know our way around."  
  
"We did send him there, but he came back just last night saying it wasn't there."  
  
"What?"  
  
"When we found that out we sent him to the second closest world."  
  
"Skylight City?" Sora asked, getting a head nod from the Queen.  
  
"Traverse Town must have already been destroyed by the heartless." Donald frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"It seems like the heartless are already getting to work." Sora said with a heavy sighed. There was a crash in the background and Donald's yelling was heard soon after.  
  
"Can't you two do anything right?" Donald yelled, throwing a tantrum. Chip and Dale looked down at there little feet sheepishly. The gun was on the Gummi ship, that's for sure, but not where it was supposed to be. The gun they were putting on the Gummi ship had slipped out of the giant robot hand, that they used to equip large equipment to Gummi ships, and what a mess it made.  
  
"Donald, don't worry about it. We can fix it." Goofy reassured as he tried to calm down the enraged duck.  
  
"I hope you have another cockpit?" Donald asked, glaring at the two. Sora scratched the back of his head and looked at the broken glass that was scattered across the room.  
  
"Maybe if we're extremely lucky we can catch up to him," Sora laughed nervously as he watched the robotic hand pull the gun out of the cockpit, breaking some more glass off of it.  
  
"Oh dear," Queen Minnie sighed.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Riku yawned as he slowly shuffled into Jetta's kitchen, loving how he felt after waking up from a long night's sleep. He missed being able to close his eyes and dream, actually being able to reenergize himself instead of an eerie darkness. Upon entering the kitchen a fragrance danced around his nose, it had been so long since he had last eaten.   
  
"Good morning sleepy head," Neron said though a mouth full of food, "Jetta made breakfast but it might be cold by now." Riku turned his sleepy gaze to the counter to find a bowl of eggs, a plate of bacon and sausage, and another plate of toast.  
  
"Where's Jetta?" Riku asked glancing back at Neron.  
  
"She left around fifteen minutes ago, said she had to go to work... forgot where it was," Neron said as he continued to eat. Obviously the subject wasn't important enough to him, "You better grab you a plate Riku. I'm fixing to get thirds."  
  
"Thirds?" Riku asked in amazement, "Where do you put it all?"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Riku and Neron wandered around the town that, unlike last night, was full of people on the streets, but oddly enough it was still nighttime. The only difference was that the storm had past and the sky was full a sparkling stars that glimmered on the town below. Riku could now see why this city was called "Skylight City"; the view was quite breathtaking. The two boys just found it odd that so many people were out and about, as if it were daytime. Many of the people were shoppers and surprisingly a lot were sellers too. Both boys got stopped several times by people trying to sell something, and Riku turned down each person politely every time.   
  
Both boys wore in the same clothes they had on last night, now dry and smelling fresh, except Riku had refused to put on that black cloak; not wanting to resemble an Unknown. He was in a skintight black tank top tucked into a pair of baggy back paints held at his waist by a belt with a silver buckle, along with several other belts. His pants were tucked into his black boots, pulled back out a little to give them a slight poof, that went about halfway up his lower leg. He had to admit he liked the boots, not only where they comfortable and easy to walk in, but they used several buckles for decoration, which Riku happened to like. Truthfully he found the whole outfit to dark and gloomy, but he didn't really mind much.  
  
Neron was completely opposite from him with his close circling around the color green. His shirt was forest green with a trim of an off white/cream color. Over that he wore a jacket like shirt (much like Sora's) that was the same pasty off white color and just barely reached his hips. The seams of the arms where stitched over with an X-like pattern, and across his back as well. His pants started out in the same forest green color as his shirt, but a little ways before reaching the knees it was cut off. Continuing the pants was a light creamy green material, much looser from the skin, which was stitched onto the forest green part of the pants. He finished off his outfit with black sneakers tided with red laces. Why red, Riku would never know.  
  
"Where are we going again?" Neron asked as he fallowed Riku through the crowd.  
  
"A weapon shop, I know I saw one last night."  
  
"Oh yeah, you don't have anything to fight with do you?" Neron remembered, "Myself I don't think you need anything, you're really good with your fists, besides, do you even have the munny?" Riku stopped causing Neron to slam into his back. Riku didn't budge, but Neron was thrown off his balance and onto the ground with a thump.  
  
"Shit!" Riku cursed, "I forgot."  
  
"You don't have any munny, do you?" Neron asked as he stood back up.  
  
"Do you think if I help around the shop they'll give one to me?" Neron simply shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"You can try."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Must not get many customers," Neron commented as they entered the empty weapon shop. Riku walked up to the counter and started to ring a little bell, but nobody came. Neron plopped down onto the couch, set out for loungers, as he glanced around the room. Never in his life had he seen so many weapons in just one place.  
  
"Hello! Anyone here?" Riku yelled as he rang the bell again.  
  
"I heard you the first time!" A female voice shouted as she walked in through a door behind the front desk carrying a large box. She sat it down on the counter making the contents rattle inside.  
  
"I need a weapon."  
  
"Well, you came to the..." She trailed off, as if thinking of something, then pushed the box to the side, "Riku?"  
  
"Jetta?" Riku asked, not sure if it was really her or not. She had her red hair pulled back into a messy bun. Some strands that had strayed from her hair bow were dangling in her face, but she seemed like she didn't care. She wore a bright lime green shirt that looked a little old since the sleeves were a little tattered. The collar to the shirt was large and it slipped down her right shoulder, but underneath the shirt was another one. It seemed to be a black tank top. Riku noticed that she had at least three pockets on that one shirt. They where sewn on in odd places and were all different, non-matching, colors. The same went for he loose blue jean pants.  
  
"Hey Riku!" Jetta said with a smile. Forcing Riku to advert his gaze from her clothes to her face.  
  
"So this is where you said you worked," Neron mumbled to himself.  
  
"You mean you forgot?" Jetta asked, slightly annoyed. Neron smiled as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.  
  
"Jetta, I have a problem," Riku said.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"I need a weapon, but I don't have any munny," Riku said, "If you want I can work for-"  
  
"That's okay Riku," Jetta smiled, "You don't have to work, just go ahead at take one. Once you get the munny you can pay me back later."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
"So what do you want? I've got swords, axes, daggers, and these really cool-"  
  
"I'll take a sword," Riku said as he cut her off.  
  
"All the swords are on the wall behind you," Jetta said as she pointed to the wall, "Pick whichever one you like the best." Riku was looking through the swords when a lady's scream was heard from out side, stopping him rather quickly. Jetta hopped over the counter and ran out of the store, fallowed by a worried Neron. Riku grabbed the first sword he could get his hands on, felling that he might need it, and ran out as well.  
  
"Where is every one?" Riku asked finding the once crowded market area completely empty.  
  
"I don't like the looks of this," Jetta said as she glanced all around her as if she was being watched.  
  
"Jetta! Look out!" Riku shouted as he started to run towards Jetta, but he didn't get to her in time. A fireball, shot out of an alleyway, knocking Jetta flat on her back. Riku stopped and looked over at the new type of heartless that had come out of the alleyway.   
  
This heartless had on what seemed like a red dress with the heartless symbol on it. Its torso seemed to float in the air since it's feet and claws weren't attached to it. The black claws floated near its torso with a fireball ready to shoot off at anything that moved. Behind it were several more with fireballs ready to shoot off as well. More heartless began to come out of the other alleyways and soon the three of them were trapped.  
  
"Jetta are you okay?" Neron asked as he ran over to her.  
  
"I'm fine," Jetta said sitting up holding her head at the place where it collided with the ground, "What kind of heartless is that?"  
  
"It's a red nocturne," Riku answered standing in the path of it so it couldn't get to the others, but that didn't stop the other heartless around them from attacking. Riku glared at the nocturne and noticed it had changed over the year, almost like it evolved into a bigger better version of itself.  
  
"Let me take care of it," Neron said as his two Keyblades appeared and he ran past Riku. He was doing well at destroying the heartless until a fireball struck him down. The Nocturne's red eyes looked from Neron to Riku before it charged forward with both claws lit of fire. Riku crouched down into a fighting stance and held his sheathed sword at his side but Jetta went running in front of him, getting in his line of attack.  
  
"What are you doing?" Riku asked as he watched Jetta knock both claws out of the way without seeming to care that her forearms just grazed across burning hot flames. She then formed her hand into what resembled a gun and pointed her index finger at its head. The red nocturne disappeared in a puff of red smoke after a small ball of fire shot out of her finger tip and through the heartless's head. Several more shots escaped from her fingers, destroying the rest of the heartless with precise aim.  
  
Riku straitened up as he looked on with amazement. She had defeated more than half of the creatures by just pointing her finger at them. Riku was a little disappointed that he didn't get to fight as he held the sword at his side, still sheathed. Neron turned his gaze to the girl with his mouth slightly agape in shock, or amazement, Riku couldn't tell which one it was.  
  
"Why didn't you do that last night when your life was on the line?" Neron practically yelled.  
  
"Fire doesn't work in the rain Neron," Jetta spat. Neron simply glared at her before he turned his gaze to Riku.  
  
"Do you think that's what everyone ran from?" Neron asked.  
  
"I'd say so," Riku said.  
  
"I'd say so too since we're talking about normal people here. Anything that shoots fire balls and tries to kill you is considered scary," Jetta spat. Neron was about to smart off to her but the ground began to shake, throwing Jetta off her balance right away.  
  
"What's happening?" Neron asked as he tried to keep his balance. The buildings surrounding them began to shake and rattle and soon bits and pieces began to fall off of them. The rumbling began to get out of control making the ground look like a disturbed waterbed throwing Riku and Neron on their backs instantly.  
  
"This is crazy!" Jetta shouted as the ground started to crack in random places. A moment later the earth stopped shaking and the three were left stunned and confused. Debris and rubble blocked all of the exits out of the marketplace leaving the three trapped, unless they wanted to take the time to climb over the rubble.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
A teenaged boy that resembled Goofy sat on the roof of a building slightly surprised. He slowly stood and dusted off his baggy blue jeae pants along with his arms. He wore a red shirt with a long sleeve white shirt underneath and in his right hand he carried a red, slightly crooked metal wand with a clear crystal ball on the end. All he was doing was trying to get to the roof on the old hotel to look down at what the racket was from above, since he didn't want to get involved, but as soon as he got there this had to happen.  
  
"I knew leaving the castle was a bad idea, but did Queen Minnie or Daisy listen to me? Of course not! Why would they listen to me when all they're going by is a disappearing star," The boy complained as he ran his fingers through his wild untamed shaggy hair. He was going to continue more on his ranting but a puddle of dark ooze formed just a few feet in front of him. Out of it climbed around five or so heatless just ready to take his heart away.  
  
"Don't you things give up?" He asked, even though he knew he wouldn't get an answer from them. The heartless didn't seem threatened as they advance on him, more showing up behind them.  
  
"I wouldn't come any closer if I were you," the boy stated as the heartless backed him up to the edge of the building. When the heartless continued to advance on him he hesitated and fumbled with his red wand before he held it out in front of him with both hands. He closed his eyes and looked away, getting ready to strike the heartless with a spell.  
  
"Fire!" He shouted out, but instead of a fireball shooting off at the heatless it shot out at him, knocking him off of the building.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Anybody care to explain what happened?" Jetta asked as she looked around at the destruction, still sitting on the ground.  
  
"And earthquake is all I can think-" Neron stopped his analogy after hearing a shout from above. All three looked up to find a boy falling from, luckily, a short building. At the end of his plummet he smashed through a canopy and landed in a fruit stand, breaking the stand and flattening any fruit he had landed on. Jetta could only gasp as she stared in shock at what had just happened.  
  
"Are you okay?" Riku asked as he walked up to the mess and watched as this strange boy cursed at himself as he pulled an orange off of his shirt.  
  
"Never close your eyes during an attack. I've been told that over and over and look at what I just did," The boy muttered as he pulled himself out of the mess he had created, "I'm so stupid."  
  
"...You okay?" Riku asked again.  
  
"...Yeah, I'm fine," He finally answered with a heavy sigh.  
  
"That was one nasty fall," Neron commented.  
  
"Your telling me," The teen said as he pulled several stuck grapes from off his hind end before he let out another sigh, "I guess this is what happens when I don't pay attention during a magic lesson. I knew I should have listened to that crazy duck." Riku continued to stare at the strange teenaged boy, finding something oddly familiar about him, yet he had never seen him in his life.  
  
"What happened to you?" Riku finally asked.  
  
"Oh... I was fighting off those crazy creatures, and well..." He trailed off and blushed slightly as he looked down at his feet, "I... um... kinda... held my wand the wrong way. Shot a magic attack at myself."  
  
"Are you like some kind of wizard?" Jetta asked.  
  
"I wouldn't really call me that."  
  
"Can't argue there," Neron spat with a smile.  
  
"Be nice to the stranger!" Jetta shouted as she glared at him.  
  
"It's okay," the guy said with a slight chuckle, "He's right after all."  
  
"So what's your name Mr. Wizard in training?" Jetta asked.  
  
"Max, and you are?"  
  
"Jetta!" She said as she shook Max's hand with a warm smile. Just when they were thinking all of the commotion had ended the ground began to rumble again, but this time it was far worse. Every one fell to the ground as the earth began to split in several places and buildings started to crumble once again. A large crack formed in the ground and began to spit apart and as it got larger two claws rose out of the gash in the ground and began to separate it much faster.  
  
Once the split in the ground was wide enough an enormous creature climbed it's way out of the earth with a fierce glow in its eyes. Its yellow eyes, illuminated from its metal helmet like lanterns in the darkest of nights, scanning the area, looking on at the destruction it had caused. The gigantic creature's left arm was covered in a silvery metal leaving none of its black skin showing, unlike the other arm which was completely bare. Its chest armor covered over the right side of its chest and seemed to dip down from its collarbone to the left side of it's waist, leaving half of it's chest bare. Its legs were the same way but with the right side covered in metal instead of the left. Every one knew it was a heartless because it bore the symbol on its chest armor and helmet.  
  
"You guys okay?" Riku yelled. The rip in the earth had separated the four, along with the marketplace, leaving Riku and Max on one side and Neron and Jetta on the other.  
  
"I'm fine... I think," Jetta moaned as she held the back of her head. Once again her head had come in contact with the ground giving her one bad headache, "I don't think my head can take much more of this."  
  
"You'll be okay. I'm sure there's nothing to hurt in there anyway," Neron commented.  
  
"Ass!" Jetta yelled as she smacked him upside the head. Neron was about to yell at her but the heartless's fist slammed into the ground just a few inches in front of them. The shock wave sent them skidding backwards several feet, but they were okay. A crater in the ground was left from the impact it made, and they all knew this heartless was only giving them just a little taste of what it had to offer for them. With a hole that size, nobody wanted to be on the receiving end, that's for sure.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer (Cause I forgot to last chapter): I don't own Daisy, Queen Minnie, Donald, Goofy, or Max. All of those characters belong to Disney. ^-^ Glade I got that over with.  
  
Author: I'm sure by now everyone has seen Sora's new dudes. I first saw him on a show called x-play during a trailer for the next game, same goes for Neron. If anybody hasn't seen his clothes, which I doubt that, or wants to find a pic of him I suggest going to my fav KH site of all time, also the one that talks about the "Chain of Memories"-  
  
Sora: www. kingdomhearts2.net *Demon smiles at Sora*  
  
Riku: I can't believe you let her use you like that.  
  
Sora: Well, you didn't want to.   
  
Author: That website has a lot of neat stuff too, like a Manga! You need to see that if you go. It's funny! *Grins* Anyway, I thank every single one of you wonderful reviewers for the reviews. It made me so happy that I wrote you guys little notes, cool huh?  
  
Inuyasha's apprentice's note: Thank you very much for the reviews, and don't worry about criticizing me. *Grins* I need all the criticizing I can get. That way I'll get better at my spelling. If you don't mind, could you tell me if I improve over the chapters, I'd like to know if I'm doing better or worse. ^-^ It'd help a lot. Thanks for the reviews and I love your stories!  
  
Riku: *Snorts* You get better at spelling. *Chuckles* That's a good one. *Gets hit by a pillow and Sora laughs*  
  
Mizutaka's note: Your correcting my spelling too. This is great! Like I told Inuyasha's apprentice, I need all the criticizing I can get. ^-^ I'll have to go back and correct the things you two have pointed out to me. Anyway, thanks for reviewing me again. You're so nice. I didn't really like the movies with Max either; it was kinda a spur of the moment thing to add him in. *Grins*  
  
animefreak321654's note: You reviewed again as well. Yippee! I feel so loved. Thanks for the reviews! It sucks that your computer crashed. I would have liked to read your story. I love reading other people's stories. ^-^ Thanks again!  
  
Rurouni Saiyan's note: Hello new reviewer. I'm super glad you took time out of you life to stop by and check out my story. *Grins* I feel even more loved now. I'm also glade you liked it. Scratch that, I'm really glad you liked it. ^-^ And yes, I agree, it is fun to torture Riku.   
  
Riku: Your going to regret saying that. *Glares*  
  
Author: We'll see. *Grins as she starts to click the magical writer's pen* So what can I do to you next? *Ponders*  
  
Sora: Pretty pen. Can I click it?  
  
Author: Sure thing. *Gives Sora the pen* Anyway, now that that's over with you can feel free to review me you wonderful people. ^-^  
  
Sora: *Continuously clicking the pen with a big grin on his face*  
  
Riku: *Eye twitching* That's REALLY annoying Sora.  
  
Author: Hope to see you people next chapter! Have a great day! ^-^ 


	6. Chapter 5

The Darkness Within  
  
Chapter 5: This is Where it Begins  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As Jetta and Neron were getting up on the other side of the split, the heartless slammed its foot into the ground creating a shock wave that knocked Riku and Max down with ease. While laying on the ground Riku looked over at Neron, watching him attack the heartless's leg. He then sat up and looked over at Max who was shooting off fire spells at the heartless's arm, but wasn't coming close to hitting him. As he looked on he realized the heartless was paying no heed to their attacks, not even the slightest winch. Was this one heartless going to stop their adventure before it even started?  
  
Jetta and Neron ran from the heartless when it bent over to try and swat them away. Surprisingly, Neron could hold his ground quite well when in dangerous situations, then again he had a Keyblade in each hand. Riku looked over at Jetta who also had no trouble at all since she could just shoot little fireballs out of her fingertips for long distance, but once she got in close she showed a new ability. Her hands and feet would in case themselves in a flame and she'd give her attacks a burring force of power. The attacks flowed out so gracefully that they appeared to be a dance with her twirls, kicks, and punches that burned the heartless's black skin, but sadly seemed like nothing to it.   
  
Once Riku was back on his feet, he marveled at the weapon he held in his hand since he really hadn't had time before to look at it. Of course this wasn't really the best time either, but he didn't seem to care at the moment. It's heaviness made it clear that even the handle was made of metal, which would do well for a clear, clean slice. Taking in closer inspection of the weapon the handle was a dragon that wrapped around the base of the sword with its wings spread out fully. The wings served as a guard to other sword attacks so it wouldn't cut off any of his fingers, or severely damage his hand. The sword seemed fit for decoration than a weapon for a battle, but a sword's a sword. Nevertheless, Riku gripped the handle tightly, holding it firmly, still sheathed, by his hip on the left side, before he charged at the heartless, showing no sign of fear.   
  
When he got in close enough, he jumped high in the air and did a complete flip once reaching his maximum height. While diving back down to the ground he pulled the sword out of its sheath and struck the heartless's shoulder. He twirled a bit in the air from the force he put into the attack, slicing its arm several more times before he landed safely on the ground.  
  
"Show off!" Neron shouted at him. Riku could only flash the boy a smile of satisfaction.  
  
"At least you're doing some damage over here," Max chuckled before he shot a fireball off that actually hit.   
  
Everyone did their best at trying to destroy the heartless, but their attacks only seemed to breeze across the heartless's skin without the slightest effect. The thought of not being able to defeat this heartless crossed everyone's mind, but nether of them would loss without a fight. Their chances seemed to worsen when out of nowhere the heartless's fist came flying at Jetta and Neron. Neron managed to escape it, by the skin of his teeth, but Jetta wasn't as lucky. In a split second Jetta was flying to the other side of the town square. Seconds later her body sat lifeless at the base of the crumbled building that had stopped her from flying any further. Everyone stood there in a stunned state and waited for her to move, but she didn't.  
  
"...Jetta..." Riku was the first to pull himself away from the battle to check up on her and he was relieved to see her still breathing when he got there. He started to search his pockets for a potion but remembered that he had nothing on him since he had no munny, which for some reason he kept forgetting about.  
  
"Hey! Catch!" Riku turned around just in time to catch a small bottle with a glowing green liquid inside. He looked up to find a girl with shoulder length black hair pulled back in a white headband smiling over at him. She was dressed in a black top designed to look like a tube top, but had buckle like straps holding it in place from her shoulders. A mesh black fabric fell from the bottom of her top and reattached to her shorts, covering her stomach. Her black shorts were very short with a dark blue belt hanging loosely from her hip. Her long legs were covered by white stockings that came a little past her knees, and black boots fit snugly to her feet with little chains draped on them for decoration. To finish her outfit off she wore white gloves, one glove going to her shoulder and the other only around the palm of her hand. (Think of Riku's gloves.)  
  
"What are you waiting for? That is what you wanted, right?" The girl asked. Quickly Riku opened the bottle and pored the liquid into her mouth. She slightly grunted as she opened her eyes to find Riku staring down at her, fuzzy at first, but it eventually cleared.  
  
"Are you okay?" Riku asked.  
  
"...I am now." Jetta said as she looked herself over, amazed that she survived something like that, "What a close one, huh?" Jetta started to get up but Riku stopped her.  
  
"Maybe you should stay here, and rest a bit. You can join the battle when you feel better." Jetta glared at him as she knocked his hand away and got up.  
  
"I don't need to rest! I'm fine!" Jetta looked over at the new person who stood in the marketplace and cocked an eyebrow at her, "Who's that?"  
  
"I don't know, but you should be thanking her. She's the one who gave me the potion."   
  
"What are you staring at?" The girl asked getting annoyed with the two of them staring at her. The question was soon forgotten as a ball of fire shoot past her, causing her to duck to the ground, "Hey! You almost hit me, you jerk!"  
  
"You where in my line of fire. How else was I supposed to get you to move?" A man spat as he ran past the girl, making his way to the heartless.   
  
He was a tall man with shoulder length brown hair and dark blue eyes that held a stern glare at everything. Along with that, he had a scar that ran diagonally in between his eyes, making him seem even more menacing than he already was. He dressed in a black leather jacket with a red lion head design on the back, and had several red buckles on the sleeves for decoration. Under that was a normal white shirt that was tucked into his loose leather pants with a zipper going all the way up to his thighs. His pants were held to his waist by a black belt along with several other belts that hung loosely. The pants hung lose around his ankles where a pair of black boots could be seen. To finish it off he had on black gloves that had metal attached to the knuckles of them, and in his hands he carried a large sword. The handle was bent and the design of it made it look exactly like an oversized revolver. Right away he started to attack the heartless with all of his might and was soon helped by the girl who would throw little ninja stars at the unshielded area on the heartless's body.  
  
"Where are these people coming from?" Jetta asked as she looked over at Riku.  
  
"I don't know, but lets not complain, they are helping after all."  
  
"Yeah, you've got a point," Jetta said as she smiled over at him, "Lets go!"  
  
Riku and Jetta both ran back into the battle and started an all out attack on the heartless. Neron was now having a harder time since all the attacks on his side were now aimed directly at him. To make things easier on him, the new girl hopped onto the heartless's arm and ran up to its head, throwing a few stars along the way. Once reaching the head she dashed down the other arm, tossing Neron a potion as she zipped past him, putting some distance between her and the heartless since she was more of a distance fighter. Once she had enough fun on that side she would switch sides again; this continued throughout the battle.  
  
With the two new people on their side it seemed like the attacks were finally taking affect. The heartless's attacks were getting weaker and not only that but he was getting slower as time progressed, then again so did the others. The only good thing was that the ninja girl had succeeded in taking out an eye with one of her ninja stars, this seemed to be the most effective attack yet, but it still wasn't enough. What seemed like minutes in this battle must have felt like hours to the gang. They started to back away from the beast one at a time to rest, but it just wasn't enough. Max had used all of his ethers and was out of magic, leaving him to fight with his fists. To put it simple, things seemed hopeless.  
  
"This is ridiculous, why hasn't it been defeated yet?" Jetta asked out of breath as she looked over at Riku, who was out of breath as well.  
  
"I don't know," Riku sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow, "But I do know it's not enough."  
  
"...I've got an idea!" Jetta proclaimed as she started to rummage through her pockets, "Oh I know I have it. Where is it?"  
  
"If you didn't have so many pockets it might be easier to find what you're looking for," Riku spat. Jetta growled as she quickly shot the sliver haired boy a hatful glare.  
  
"Don't start with me!" Jetta yelled before her eyes lit up with happiness, "Found it!"  
  
"Found what?" Jetta simply held up a bottle of blue liquid.  
  
"My extra elixir, I always carry one for intense situations," Jetta said proudly before she opened the bottle, "All my magic and health will be restored, that way I can use my very best attack. I just hope it'll be enough to finish it off." Jetta then drank the bottle in one swig before she stood.  
  
"What's your best attack?"  
  
"You'll see," Jetta said with a smile before she ran back into the battle, "Everybody stand back!" Jetta ran past every one and didn't stop until she was in front of the heartless. The others didn't listen to her warnings at first, that is until Jetta's entire body lit on fire, but after a moment or two they decided to back away.   
  
Her once green eyes turned a bright red and glowed with rage, and an enormous ball of fire formed in her hand building up from the fire around her body until the flames were gone. She charged at the heatless once again and jumped high in the air, using a blast of flames from her feet to get her high enough in the air. The heartless wasn't quick enough to swat her out of the sky before she unleashed her attack. The ball shot off from her hand, forcing her backwards from the force. An explosion was heard as the ball hit the heartless in the chest, knocking it back into a building.  
  
The man in leather caught Jetta before she hit the ground, seeing as she had slipped into unconsciousness from the sudden loss of power. As the smoke was clearing a large glowing heart floated out of the smoke, swirling with colors of dark blue and purple, before it disappeared into the sky. Before the heartless disappeared along with it's heart, it was seen leaning on a building with a hole going strait through its chest from the brutal attack. As it faded away every one looked over at Jetta, who was now waking up.  
  
"Why didn't you do that in the first place?" Neron shouted from across the gorge in the ground.  
  
"It had to be weakened first!" Jetta spat, "Other wise it probably wouldn't have worked."  
  
"Whatever," Neron mumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"Man, look at this mess," The ninja girl said as she looked around at all of the destruction, "It's going to take forever for them to fill up this gap."  
  
"I'm sure the town's people can handle it," The man said, not really giving the subject much concern. The girl smiled as she walked over to Jetta and gave her a good pat on the back.   
  
"That was some attack!"  
  
"Thanks," Jetta said as she gave the girl a tiered smile.  
  
"You just gave a whole new meaning to big things come in small packages," The girl laughed, "You fellin' okay?"  
  
"Just a little tiered, nothing big," Jetta said as she slowly stood up, "Thanks for the help... um..."  
  
"Yuffie!" She said with a smile, "And that's Squall."  
  
"Leon!" He corrected, giving Yuffie one of his stern looks.  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Yuffie said without much care, "So who are your other little antisocial friends over there?" Jetta looked behind her to find all three of the boys gathered around the gap discussing something.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Look at how far down it goes!" Neron said as he carefully looked over the edge, not wanting to fall in, "It's like it goes to the very center of this world."  
  
"That's not good," Riku said as he crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"Why?" Neron asked.  
  
"Because the world's heart is in the center of the world," Leon said as he walked over to them, "Normally the heartless look for the keyhole that leads to the heart...but it looks like they're taking a different approach this time."  
  
"What's that?" Max asked as he pointed to a light at the bottom of the gorge. The tips of Neron's Keyblades began to glow a bright blue, and they started to shake in his hands. A blue lazar like light shot out of each end and twisted together into one light before it plunged down into the split. A low, almost silent, click was heard moments later, echoing up the rocky walls, like the sound you hear when you lock a door. The light on Neron's Keyblades faded away and everyone but Riku, Leon, and Yuffie were left in wonder and confusion.  
  
"What...what was that?" Neron asked as he stared at his Keyblades in amazement.  
  
"You just sealed your first Keyhole," Riku said as Jetta and Yuffie came running over to the group. The ground began to shake and rumble, yet again, knocking Jetta down easily in the state she was in, with Yuffie dropping to her side. Max was next to fall but the others managed to keep standing as the rip in the ground began to mend itself. Soon it was nothing but a crake but even that disappeared, leaving the ground looking like it had never been disturbed.  
  
"Well, at least now the town doesn't have to worry about filling the gap up," Yuffie commented with a light laugh.  
  
"Your weapons... what are they called?" Max asked as he walked up to Neron.  
  
"Keyblades?" Neron slightly asked as he looked over towards Riku, making sure he got the name right.  
  
"This is great!" Max shouted, "I can't believe I found the Keyblade master so soon."  
  
"You mean you were looking for me?"  
  
"Yeah! Are you Sora?"  
  
"No, I'm Neron."  
  
"...I didn't think so," Max said as he hung his head, "I didn't see Donald or Goofy with you."  
  
"Goofy? Donald?" Neron asked, "Who are they?"  
  
"Just some people I was told to look for," Max sighed, "You must not be the right one. Does this mean there are two Keyblade masters?" Max asked most of this out loud to himself, not minding the others.  
  
"You're not from around here, are you?" Jetta asked, "I'm sure if I've seen you before I would have recognized you by now."  
  
"No, I just got here last night."  
  
"So you're from another world?" Neron asked. Max fidgeted with his wand and looked down at the ground.  
  
"It's okay, we know about the other worlds... well, at least I do," Riku said.  
  
"You do? How? I was told they were supposed to be a secret!"  
  
"They are," Yuffie cut in.  
  
"At least they're supposed to be," Leon commented.  
  
"If you're from another world then does that mean you have a Gummi ship?" Jetta asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Cool! Maybe we can help each other out then," Jetta said with a smile, "We can help you look for Sora, and assist you in battle, and you can just take us around so Neron can seal the Keyholes and save the worlds. I think it's a good enough deal."  
  
"Okay, I sounds like a plan to me," Max said with a smile, "Maybe then we'll have a chance of running into the other Keyblade master."  
  
"Great!" Jetta shouted before she turned to face Neron, "And you didn't want me to come." Neron simply rolled his eyes at her before he looked over at Riku.  
  
"Sora..." Neron trailed off, "That's your friend isn't it?"  
  
"...Yeah."  
  
"Sora? Wow! He's gotten popular hasn't he?" Yuffie said with a smile, "Looks like he's wanted by more than just the heartless."  
  
"You know Sora too?" Jetta asked, slightly amazed.  
  
"Yep, met him when he was just a beginner at the whole Keyblade master thing," Yuffie said, "Seems like that's what you are too, Neron, was it?" Neron simply nodded his head.  
  
Riku had strayed from the conversation and was off to the side, thinking to himself. His head was hung low as he stared off at the ground, the look of sadness and sorrow in his aqua blue eyes. Sure he said he was Sora's friend, but he didn't even know if Sora still wanted to be friends with him. After all the things he did: taking his Keyblade, trying to kill him, falling into darkness, making things worse on his friend, and even in a way plotting against him. Would Sora even want him back as a friend?  
  
He kept thinking back to the last time he saw his brunet friend, closing him behind Kingdom Hearts, locking him in that world of darkness. He knew that Sora knew it was the right, and only thing, to do but in a way he seemed eager to close the door on him. No, Sora wouldn't want to close Riku up in darkness. Or would he? Riku wouldn't blame him if he did. After all he did do some pretty bad things, he even questioned their friendship.  
  
"Riku?" Riku's head snapped up when he heard Jetta calling him. Her expression looked a little worried at first, as if questioning him if he was okay. "We're gonna go to my apartment to get some things before we leave, are you coming or not?"  
  
"Yeah, of course," Riku said as he walked over to the three. He brightened his expression to fool Jetta into thinking he was okay, and apparently it worked cause the girl smiled up at him.  
  
"Great!" Jetta exclaimed, "I call shotgun!"  
  
"What?" Neron asked giving her a confused look along with everyone else.  
  
"You know? Shotgun?" Jetta asked, still getting looks of confusion.  
  
"What's shotgun?" Max finally asked.  
  
"I can't believe you people have never heard of shotgun," Jetta sighed, "It means I call front seat."  
  
"That's not far!" Neron exclaimed, "We didn't know what that meant!"  
  
"Well, now you do. So, I call shotgun!" Jetta shouted with a smile, getting several dirty looks from the other two boys who would have to sit in the back seat since Max was the driver.  
  
"Lets get going," Max said as he started to walk off, letting the others fallow him.  
  
"I think it doesn't matter if you call shotgun or not, I should get the front seat since I'm the Keyblade master," Neron proclaimed.  
  
"But that wouldn't be fare because then you'd get the front seat every time," Jetta said.  
  
"So?"  
  
"It's not far to me and Riku!" Jetta yelled, "At lease with shotgun we get some chance of riding up front. You're just mad cause I get to ride in the front first." Jetta grinned as she stuck her tongue out at him like a little four-year-old child.  
  
"Am not! I'm mad cause you didn't give me a chance to call shotgun!"  
  
"You had your chance!"  
  
"Yeah two seconds!"  
  
"See, two seconds was enough time to start saying it before I got to."  
  
"But I was still confused about the concept!"  
  
"Oh go cry about you big baby!"  
  
"Make me!"  
  
"Don't tempt me!" Jetta and Neron's yelling was still faintly heard from the alley as they walked away, leaving Leon and Yuffie still standing in the town square.  
  
"Riku..." Leon trailed off.  
  
"Isn't he one of the people Sora was looking for?" Yuffie asked, looking over to Leon.  
  
"He was also the boy who Sora fought against."  
  
"The one Ansem controlled?" Yuffie asked getting a head nod form Leon, "He looks like he's okay now."  
  
"Maybe, but once your in darkness it never leaves your heart," Leon said, "I wonder if he's still got the dark powers?"  
  
"He didn't look like it when he was battling."  
  
"True, but he could be hiding them."  
  
"Do you think it's okay for him to be around a Keyblade master?" Yuffie asked, "Isn't that the reason why he fought Sora, for the Keyblade?" Leon gave Yuffie a small head nod.  
  
"We can only hope it wont happen again," Leon said before he turned and walked off, Yuffie fallowing close behind. She looked off at the alley before she completely left the town square, not to sure what to think about the silver haired boy.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"There it is, the new world," Max said as he slowed the Gummi ship down as he approached the world.  
  
"Wow!" This was the only word Jetta could think of as she pressed her face to the glass hoping to get a better view, which didn't really matter since she had the front seat.  
  
"Looks like a jungle down there," Neron commented.  
  
"More like a forest," Jetta corrected. Neron simply rolled his eyes at her.  
  
"Before we go down there, I want to go over something," Max said, catching everyone's attention, "We're outsiders so we can't meddle in the affairs of others, and whatever you do don't mention anything about other worlds."  
  
"Okay, no problem," Jetta said, "Now are we going or what?"  
  
"Hang on, I need check the habitants. Sometimes we might need to disguise ourselves to fit the world, that way they don't think any different of us."  
  
"We have costumes on this ship?" Jetta asked as she looked around.  
  
"No, but I can give you a different appearance with magic," Max answered. Everyone exchanged worried glances with one another, not sure if that was a good idea or not.  
  
"No offence Max, but we've seen what you can do with magic," Neron said.  
  
"You're not going to turn us into mutants or anything, are you?" Riku asked.  
  
"If so, is the change reversible?" Jetta asked. Max simply sighed.  
  
"Okay, so I'm not the best when it comes to fighting spells, but I'm really good with disguising spells," Max said, but the three still gave him a skeptical look, "Just trust me okay."  
  
"...Okay," They all said, still a little worried about the whole thing.  
  
"So are we landing this baby or what?" Jetta asked after a moment of silence. Neron, feed up with her asking silly questions throughout the whole ride, growled and kicked the back of her seat, causing her to jerk forward. Jetta simply turned and gave Neron a look that could kill, luckily glares and hateful glances couldn't do that or they'd be short of a Keyblade Master.  
  
"You better be lucky I'm not back there with you!" Jetta growled, holding up a fist. If she was able to reach him she would have hit him by now, that's for sure.  
  
"Oh I'm so scared," Neron said, sarcasm practically dripping from his tongue. Once again the two started to argue and bicker at one another. Max and Riku sighed as the came to the conclusion that they would never get a moments peace with those two around, if they did then something would be wrong. That or the apocalypse was coming. Either way they were both perfectly good reasons.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author: I'm so happy that I got another long chapter out. *Bounces up and down* I'm on a roll! Go me!   
  
Sora: This calls for ice cream!  
  
Author: Yummy! That's a great idea Sora! Ice cream for all my lovely reviewers, and a nasty tasting nutrition bar for Riku.  
  
Riku: What!?!?  
  
Author: Just joking. *Smiles* You may be trying to get me in trouble for making it seem like I've kidnapped you, but I can't deprive you of ice cream just because of that reason. Then again… *Grins evilly* No I'll just torture you later with something better. ^-^  
  
Sora: I told you Demon was nice! *Sticks tongue out at Riku* Well *thinking* somewhat nice… *Demon rolls her eyes at Sora.*  
  
Riku: Well... thanks, but this doesn't mean you're off the hook. *Walks out to get the ice cream*   
  
Author: *Glares at Sora*  
  
Sora: Sorry, I thought being nice to him might work.  
  
Author: *Sighs* It's okay Sora. I forgive you. Anyway, ice cream for all my reviewers so you'll hopefully review again and again and again! LOL! I'm just so nice. In the next chapter we finally get to go to a new world. Yeah buddy! It's about time, huh? *Grins* Try and guess what world it is, I bet you'll never guess it. I'll give you a hint, it is an old Disney movie, based on a classic legend/story thing, and it's not one you visited in the game. I just want to see what your guesses are. Anyone who can guess it right gets a cookie! *Grins again*   
  
Sora: Cookies are good! ^-^ Is it going to be a gooey chocolate chip one?  
  
Author: Whatever kind the lucky winner, or winners, wants. *Grins* But lookie at what else I have! I have more notes for you people. Hurray for me! Don't you feel loved? Ice cream and a note. ^-^  
  
Mizutaka's note: I'm glad I did better last time. *Grins* Makes me feel like I'm actually improving. Do people really call you the Grammar Nazi? That's awfully mean, considering your only giving helpful criticism. I mean if people can't take it then they shouldn't put stories up... especially when it's helpful. I'm glade you liked it. Thanks for the review. ^-^  
  
Author: Score another person for torturing Riku! LOL! *Riku sulks*  
  
Rurouni Saiyan's note: I'm glad you loved the chapter, and by the way I love your story, keep up the good work, and yes you really know how to torture Riku. ^-^ Thanks for the review. (Anyone who hasn't read Rurouni Saiyan's story "A Fragmented Tale" I suggest you go and cheek it out. It's a cool story! I love it!)  
  
Riku: Why does everyone like to torture me? What did I ever do to them?  
  
Author: You should be happy Riku, look at all of the attention you're getting. They love you! *Riku mumbles with a slight blush on his face* ^-^  
  
Inuyasha's apprentice's note: I got glomped. I feel so loved! ^-^ Boy do I ever feel stupid for spelling jeans wrong, LOL. I told you I couldn't catch my mistakes. I'm glade you think I'm improving as well. This is great! Anyway, thanks for the help, and for reviewing. ^-^   
  
animefreak321654's note: Look! I'm mentioning you again! Don't you feel loved? I'm glade you're enjoying my story. It makes me so happy to know people like it. ^-^ It's great! Thanks for reviewing me yet again!  
  
Author: *Sighs blissfully* I just love all you guys. Your people are the greatest! Now where did Riku go with that ice cream... he better not be hogging it all! *Runs off to find Riku*  
  
Sora: ...Demon! Don't leave me all alone. *Runs out of the room* Oh... bye reviewers! Have a nice day! ^-^ 


	7. Chapter 6

The Darkness Within  
  
Chapter 6: Welcome to Sherwood Forest  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Well, this is a new experience," Jetta said as she looked herself over. Max had not only changed her wild clothes, but also her very outer appearance as well. She was an entirely new person... well... spices now. The pointed triangular shaped ears on top of her head twisted around as they listening to her surroundings. She noticed she could hear a whole lot better than before. Looking down at her hands, which were now paws covered in a brown and red splotchy fur, and her clothes, which now were a baby blue dress with dark blue sleeves, she realized Max had done a lot of disguising.  
  
"How does it feel to be in clothes with only one color scheme?" Neron asked mockingly with a light laugh. Jetta's lime green eyes narrowed and snapped to her right, giving Neron a very ugly look.  
  
"You have no room to talk!" Jetta spat, "After all I'm not the one in a short skirt." Neron's now ice blue eyes glared at her before he snapped back.  
  
"It's not a skirt!" Neron's paws balled up into a fist as he tried to control his anger. "It's a long shirt with a belt, making it look like a skirt!" Neron tried to stifle the growl that was boiling up inside of him but he couldn't. A growl escaped his mouth and his lip curled up letting Jetta see his sharp canine teeth. Max had also done a number of changes on him as well. Neron was now a gray wolf and he was fitting the part quite well with his ears laying flat on his head in a defensive position.   
  
"Cool it you two!" Riku placed a white fur covered paw on Neron's shoulder and immediately his ears went up right again as he relaxed. Jetta turned towards Riku to find that he was a very majestic looking albino fox. He wore the same type of clothing Neron did except his was a long dark blue shirt, instead of mahogany, with a black belt at the waist, making it seem like he had a skirt as well.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" Jetta squealed as she ran over to Riku and grabbed onto his fluffy white tail. The three boys exchanged a worried glace for the girl's health before Jetta spook up again, "Your tail, it's so soft, and so adorably cute!"  
  
"Cute?" Riku asked, as if not liking the complement. Neron couldn't help but snicker at this.  
  
"Uh... Jetta, you have one too," Max said. Not much had changed with him except for the clothes and the little skinny tail that wagged slowly behind him. Apparently he was just going for a natural dog look.  
  
"I do?" Jetta looked back at her rear to find a long skinny tail wagging slowly with a curl at the end. She frowned and looked over at Max, "How come you gave Riku the cute tail? I wanna be a fox, let Riku be the cat."  
  
"I'm sorry but-"  
  
"Look out!" A voice yelled, but it was to late. A gypsy vixen ran smack dab into Max sending them both to the ground with a thud. Only moments later Neron and Riku were hit by a large bear with blond hair wearing a pink dress, and since Jetta was practically latched onto Riku's tail she went down as well. Munny went flying everywhere along with some jewels and oddly enough a golden hubcap.  
  
"Oo de lally!" The fox said as he healed his head. Yes, HIS head. The gypsy looking vixen was none other than a fox in disguise, and the bear was no female either. His blond wig went flying as soon as he hit the ground, along with the munny stored in his dress.  
  
"Terribly sorry lad, I was in a bit of a rush," The fox said politely with an English accent as he helped Max up.  
  
"It's okay. I'm really the one who should be sorry, for standing in your way that is," Max said. The fox laugh with merriment as he slapped Max on the back sending him stumbling a bit.  
  
"Are you okay um...sir?" Jetta asked as she helped the bear off of poor Neron and Riku who had be unfortunate enough to break his fall.  
  
"I'm fine little whiskers," He said as he stood then looked down at the two boys, "Though I'd be more worried about your little buddies instead of me."  
  
"Oh they'll be fine," Jetta said waving them away without much care, "They're tough little boys, right Neron?"  
  
"Oww..." Neron grunted as he sat up, rubbing his snout.  
  
"There they are!" Someone shouted from afar. The fox and bear began to gather the munny and jewels in a hurry and when most of it was up they started to flee the area.  
  
"No time to explain, but come with us!" The fox said as he took Max's paw and ran off just as an arrow shot into a tree he was standing by.  
  
"Lets go little whiskers!" The bear said as he took Jetta and then Neron by their paws and fallowed his fox friend. Jetta, making sure everyone stayed together, grabbed Riku's paw and pulled him off the ground, practically dragging him along behind her.  
  
After a few minutes of running, the fox took a drastic measure and hopped up into a tree, pulling Max along with him. Soon after the fox had gotten up in the tree Jetta, Neron, and Riku were tossed up by the bear's amazing strength. Once the bear made it up the tree several wolves with bows and arrows went running by, and fallowing close behind was a rhino or two with a spear or an axe in hand. (Not exactly a hand but you know what I mean.)  
  
"What a close one," The fox sighed once they were out of sight and sound, "You've got to admit they're getting better."  
  
"I'll say," the bear sighed as he pulled an arrow out of his hat, "This is my only hat too."  
  
"Who are you two?" Neron finally asked.  
  
"Are you two some kind of wanted criminals?" Jetta asked, getting a little worried. Both the bear and fox laughed at this.  
  
"You mean to say you've never heard of me?" The fox asked.  
  
"Well, we're new to these parts of the woods," Jetta said, speaking the very truth.  
  
"Why, I'm Robin Hood, my far lady, and this is my good friend Little John," Robin answered.  
  
"Little?" Jetta laughed, "Not to be rude, but you're not very little, in more ways than one." Little John smiled as he rubbed his large belly.   
  
"I'm Jetta, and these are my friends Max and Riku. Neron's only an associate," Jetta said as she pointed to each animal while addressing their names.  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, though I wish it were on better circumstances," Robin said.  
  
"You still didn't answer our question," Riku stated, "Are you two criminals?"  
  
"You know what Robin? I wonder about that sometimes as well," Little John said as he looked towards his friend, "I mean with us stealin' from the rich to give to the poor. It's right and wrong all at once. Is it possible to be just one?" Robin simply shrugged.  
  
"So you're thieves?" Max asked.  
  
"Myself, I think that if you're robbing from the rich to give to the poor, then it's a good thing. I mean what more does a rich person want when they have it all. He should be giving to the poor anyway, right?" Jetta asked looking from Robin to Little John and then back to Robin.  
  
"I like you little lassie, but rob... it's such a nasty little word," Robin said as he leaned back onto a tree branch, "I like to call it borrowing from those who can afford it."  
  
"Then boy are we in debt," Little John said with a smile receiving a hearty laugh from Robin.  
  
"That we are Little John, that we are."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"So where are you taking us again?" Jetta asked as she walked along side Robin. Since they were going into the town, and Robin was a wanted man, he disguised himself yet again in a blind beggar costume.  
  
"Mother Rabbit's house," Robin answered, for the third time, "I've got to give her something." As they walked along down the trail they could faintly hear little children's voices singing a happy birthday song, but once they reached the house the song was over. Looking down from a hill they saw a little stone house that was built under a large old oak tree. The front door was already open so they slowly walked in themselves.  
  
Sitting on the floor was a little bunny in a blue shirt with tears falling from his eyes as he looked up at the large wolf before him. In his paw he flicked a single coin and smiled at the boy. It was clear that this wolf wasn't the nice type from the smile.  
  
"You give that back to him!" The mother Rabbit shouted, "We all scrounged to get him that present!"  
  
"Sorry ma'am but the family that saves together, pays together," The wolf chuckled as he began to leave but Robin, Riku, and Jetta blocked the doorway.  
  
"Well, hello there, didn't hear you three come in," He said.  
  
"Sheriff, is that you?" Robin asked.  
  
"Yep, sure is," The Sheriff said as he looked into the cup Robin was holding and smiled, "Taxes are due my fine friend." The Sheriff toss the one coin into his cup causing the three coins he had in there to bounce out and into his hand.  
  
"Pleasure doin' business with ye," The Sheriff said with a smile as he pushed Jetta and Riku to the side and made his way out of the house.  
  
"You jerk!" Jetta shouted as she chased after him. Just as she was about to jump on his back, to get the munny away from him, Riku grabbed her by her arm and pulled her back. The Sheriff turned around to face her and smiled at the two, both of them giving him a very hatful look.  
  
"What a feisty little feline you are," The sheriff said with a chuckle, "That'll change." He then turned and left, whistling a little marry song as he went along.  
  
"Oh you poor man, come in and sit down," the mother rabbit said as she pulled up a chair, "You four can come in as well. Sit where ever you like."  
  
"Thank you kindly ma'am," Robin said as he took a seat, "Was that a birthday song I heard a little while ago?"  
  
"Yes," the little bunny said with a sniffle as he stood, "It's my birthday, but that mean old sheriff took my present away."   
  
"Is that so?" Robin asked, "Well, I'll have non of that." Robin stood and pulled off his disguise causing all the little bunnies around him to gasp.  
  
"Robin Hood," A little bunny said as she stood hugging her little bunny doll.  
  
"Oh he's so handsome," A little girl bunny said as she smiled shyly up at him. She swayed from side to side making her pink dress wave around, blushing all the while.  
  
"How old are you?" Jetta asked as she bent down to his level of height.  
  
"I'm seven, going on eight," he said with a smile.  
  
"Seven, huh?" Robin said as he rubbed his chin, "Then I guess that makes you the man of the house. Here, happy birthday." Robin pulled a bow and arrow from behind his back and handed it to the little bunny.  
  
"Oh wow! A real bow and arrow," He said happily as he set it up as if he were ready to shoot it, "How do I look?"  
  
"Not like Robin Hood," The little bunny with the doll commented. This made the boy frown.  
  
"I know!" Robin took off his hat and placed it on the little bunny's head, "That's better."  
  
"Oh boy! Now I can be Robin Hood!" He shouted happily as he bounced around the room.  
  
"And this is for you," Robin said as he handed the Mother rabbit a small sake of munny.  
  
"Oh bless you Robin," The mother rabbit said with a smile on her face, "I don't know what we'd do without you."  
  
"It's my pleasure," Robin said as he placed his disguise back on just as the little boy bunny ran out of the house with two of his sisters fallowing him. One was the little bunny with the doll, and the other was the older bunny wearing the pink dress.  
  
"Skippy get back here!" The mother shouted.  
  
"We can go watch him if you want us to?" Jetta said. All three boys sighed; they could already tell she was going to get them into a lot of things.  
  
"Oh would you?"  
  
"Yeah sure, come on guys," Jetta said as she grabbed Riku by the shirt and pulled him out of the house. Max and Neron fallowed along as well, seeing the hatful look Riku gave them when they didn't come right away.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"So birthday boy, is you're name Skippy?" Jetta asked.  
  
"Yep, how did you know?" Skippy asked as he looked up at Jetta.  
  
"I heard you're mom call you that," Jetta answered, "And what about you? What's your name?" Jetta looked down at the little bunny in her arms that was cradling the doll. She was lagging behind since her little legs couldn't keep up with the rest of them so Jetta decided to carry the poor little girl.  
  
"I'm Bouncy," She said, "You're really pretty, and nice too." Jetta giggled as she hugged the sweet little bunny.  
  
"Why thank you." Jetta turned to Neron who was walking by her side and stuck her tongue out at him. Neron rolled his eyes and just ignored her childish antics.  
  
Walking behind Jetta was Riku and the other little girl bunny. Riku had noticed while they had be walking, to God only knows where, the little bunny would look up at him and stare for a while until Riku glanced down at her. She'd quickly advert he gaze and look around at other things, her face being slightly flush. This began to ware on Riku nerves until he finally just had to ask.  
  
"What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?" The little bunny laughed and blushed a bit more before she shook her head no.  
  
"Then what is it?"  
  
"You're just very handsome." Riku's eyes went wide for a moment before he looked away.  
  
"Uh... thanks." Riku heard everyone around him snicker, or stifle a laugh; Neron even turned and gave him a smile. He simply sighed and just ignored them.  
  
"Ziggy! Skippy! Wait up!" Everyone stopped and looked behind them to find a small turtle with glasses trying to catch up to them.  
  
"Hey Toby!" The little bunny in the pink dress called out as she waved to him. Since nobody else was around everyone guessed that the little bunny waving was Ziggy.  
  
"Where are you going Skippy?" Toby asked.  
  
"I'm going to try out my new bow and arrow," Skippy answered, "Guess who gave them to me?"  
  
"I don't know, who?"  
  
"Robin Hood!"  
  
"No way!"  
  
"Yeah, and he gave me his hat too."  
  
"Can I try and shoot the arrow?"  
  
"Not till I do it first." Skippy ran to the top of a hill and set up his arrow and started to pull back.  
  
"You're pointing it to high!" Ziggy shouted but it was too late. The arrow went soaring thought the air, and disappeared behind the castle.  
  
"Uh oh," Bouncy said.  
  
"Now you've done it," Ziggy scolded, "It went into the castle garden."  
  
"Then I'll just have to go get it back," Skippy said.  
  
"You can't!" Toby nearly shouted, "If you do, Prince John will cut off your head." He emphasized this by pulling his head into his shell.  
  
"That is if he finds me in there," Skippy said as he ran off to the castle with Toby and Ziggy fallowing along behind. Neron sighed before he glared at Jetta.  
  
"I hate baby sitting." Jetta ignored him and chased after Skippy, since he was her responsibility at the moment.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"There it is!" Skippy said once he spotted his arrow in the garden from the gate that closed him off from entering, but that wasn't going to stop him. He started to slip through the bars when Ziggy stopped him.  
  
"Wait, Toby might snitch on you," Ziggy said.  
  
"Yeah Toby might snitch," Bouncy repeated, nodding her head in agreement.  
  
"Then he'll have to take the oath," Skippy said, "Put your hand over your heart and cross your eyes."  
  
"Everyone has to," Bouncy said as she pointed at the teens, making them participate as well. In the end Jetta was the only one who fully played along.  
  
"Spiders, snakes, and a lizards head," Skippy started, "If I tattle tell I'll die till I'm dead. Recite it Toby."  
  
"Spiders, snakes, and a lizard head. If I tattle tell I-I'll die till I'm dead."   
  
Skippy passed through the gate and into the garden, knowing now he could trust Toby, quietly creping through the garden. He soon discovered that a vixen and a chicken were playing a game of badminton not to far away, but that didn't stop him. Finally he had reached the arrow, but just as he grabbed it, the birdie flew towards him and landed by his feet.  
  
"Well, what do we have here?" The vixen asked as she picked up the birdie.  
  
"Looks like we've got a trespasser," The chicken answered.  
  
"Oh... Oh please don't tell Prince John," Skippy whimpered as he backed away from them, "I don't wanna get my head chopped off! I just came to get my arrow back." This made both of the women laugh.  
  
"Don't fret little one," The vixen laughed, "We wont tell." Bouncy then sneezed causing the chicken to glance over at the group huddled around the gate.  
  
"Don't look now, but I think we're surrounded," The chicken whispered. The vixen looked over towards the gate and smiled warmly at them.  
  
"Come on in, the gate should be opened," She welcomed, "We don't bite."   
  
"That's Maid Marian!" Ziggy said happily, "Mother says she's awful nice." Ziggy and Toby both squeezed through the gate and ran over to the ladies. Max pushed against the gate and it was open just like the vixen said, letting the teens in as well.  
  
"Well hello!" Maid Marian greeted, "My there were a lot of you out there."  
  
"Mother's told us a lot about you, Maid Marian," Bouncy said receiving a warm smile from Maid Marian, "You're very beautiful, just like mother said."   
  
"Thank you kindly. Your quite cute yourself," She said before she looked back down at Skippy, "Why Lady Kluck, take a gander at him. Who does he remind you of?"  
  
"Oh my!" Lady Kluck gasped, "Why none other than the notorious Robin Hood!"  
  
"Yes, just what I was thinking." Skippy smiled at the two women.  
  
"Mother said that you and Robin Hood used to be sweet-hearts," Ziggy said, "Is this true?"  
  
"Yes, many years ago before I took that trip," Maid Marian said, "But I've been away so long I doubt he'll even remembers me."  
  
"Oh I'm sure he does," Jetta said.  
  
"Yeah!" Skippy shouted, "I bet he'll storm the castle, fight off the guards and Prince John, then carry you off into Sherwood Forest." This made both Maid Marian and Lady Kluck giggle.  
  
"Oh if only," Maid Marian sighed, bringing a smile to Jetta's face.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Jetta this is stupid, and it's none of out business," Neron growled as they walked along in the woods.  
  
"It's meddling, and didn't I tell you before we landed that we're not supposed to do that," Max said getting a little worried. Sure he was the type to throw the rulebook out the window once in a while, but he was strictly told not to meddle by Queen Minnie herself. Even Donald had told him that, many times to be exact, enough to were he didn't want to listen anymore.  
  
"It's not meddling!" Jetta spat, "It's just a simple little question."  
  
"You might not even get to ask it anyway," Riku said, "We don't know where Robin is." Jetta stopped and sighed, Riku's words were starting to sink in. After all they've been looking for him around thirty minutes now at the very least.  
  
"What's that smell?" Neron asked as he sniffed the air, the others doing the same.  
  
"Smells like..."  
  
"Something burning," Jetta said as she finished Max's sentence, "Maybe it's Robin?" Jetta then took off through the woods, fallowing her nose until she came to a campsite. Robin was hanging up wet clothes on tree branches while Little John stood by the fire and stirred the burning stew.  
  
"Little John!" Jetta called out happily.  
  
"Well hey there little whiskers," Little John greeted, "I see you've brought along your canine crew as well. Nice to see you guys again."  
  
"What brings you to our neck of the woods?" Robin asked.  
  
"Jetta wanted to ask you something," Neron said, "So she drug us along too." Robin looked over to Jetta who, at the moment, was standing by Little John, sniffing the food out. It didn't smell to good, and it wasn't looking good either.  
  
"Robin Hood!" A males voice said surprising everyone and drawling their attention as well. A badger in a brown robe was walking into Robin's camp with a bright smile on his face.  
  
"Friar Tuck? What brings you here?"  
  
"You wont believe what I just heard," Friar Tuck said, "Prince John is holding an archery contest tomorrow. The prize is a kiss from the lovely Maid Marian herself."  
  
"A kiss?" Robin asked with a smile on his face.  
  
"Yep." Jetta then let out a squeal of delight causing everyone to give her a worried look as she ran to Robin clapping her paws together.  
  
"This is great! You do like her!" Jetta shouted with glee, "Oh Robin you have to go! You know how to shoot an arrow, right?"  
  
"Well yes-"  
  
"Hold on now," Little John interrupted, "I don't know if you should go Robin. You're a wanted man after all."  
  
"Yes, you're wanted by Maid Marian! Oh she'll be so please to see you-" Jetta's mouth was then covered by Little John's paw.  
  
"Stop puttin' ideas in his head little whiskers," He whispered to her. Jetta only smiled into Little John's paw.  
  
"Oh come now Little John, I can handle myself," Robin said, "I'll just disguise myself so well not even my own mother would recognizes me. It'll be a snap!" Jetta squealed into Little John's paw and bounced around until he let her go.  
  
"This is going to be so great!" Jetta cheered, "I can't wait until it starts! It's going to be so... romantic." Saying this got sighs and the typical eye roll from her guy friends, but what more could she say. She just loved to see a little romance bloom here and there.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: Okay, lets get started. I do NOT own Robin Hood, Sherwood Forest, Maid Marian, Little John, Prince John, Lady Kluck-   
  
Sora: Lady Kluck, *laughs* that's so funny.  
  
Continuing the Disclaimer: Skippy, Sheriff of Nottingham, blah, blah, blah. I don't own anything in this chapter. I don't own the trees, the castle, the water, the village, the villagers, the crazy medieval outfits, the rhino guards, the elephants used as trumpets, the-  
  
Sora & Riku: We get it already!   
  
Author: Good! Just wanted to make myself clear. ^-^ Congratulations Rurouni Saiyan! You guess correctly, and your prize is a nice warm gooey chocolate chip cookie. *Hands the Rurouni Saiyan the cookie*  
  
Riku: What about me?  
  
Author: Remember how I said I'd find something worse than depriving you from ice cream? *Grins evilly as she hands Sora the last few cookies*  
  
Sora: Cookies! ^-^ *Crams every cookie in his mouth with a huge grin on his face*  
  
Riku: *Growls* Whatever, I didn't want one anyway. *Mumbles to himself* I have one question for this movie that has been bugging me for a very long time. Where the hell did they get rhinos and elephants in a forest? o.O Strange... and the Prince. Where's his mane? He looks old enough for one... then again he sucks his thumb.  
  
Sora: Maybe that's why he doesn't have a mane. He's not mature enough on the inside to grown one on the outside. *Demon and Riku shrug*  
  
Riku: I can't believe you made us watch that movie three times in a row! Do you know how annoying that is?  
  
Author: I was getting everything strait and ready to type. You didn't have to stay and watch it. It wasn't like I had you strapped to the chair or anything. *Glares at Riku* You know what really ticks me off?  
  
Sora: That they named Maid Marian's lady in waiting Lady Kluck and not Lady Kluck Kluck, which would have been much funnier? ^-^  
  
Author: ...uh...no, but I do agree with you. I'm ticked off because I watched that movie three times and not once did I find the names for those two girl bunny's that were sisters with Skippy. Did I just miss it every time or what? If anyone out there knows or has the movie to watch it and correct me on the names, please do so. I have no clue what their real names are; I just gave them those so they'd have one. I didn't want to call them sister 1 and sister 2...that's just kinda odd.  
  
Riku: What about the credits? You didn't look there.  
  
Author: Yes, I did! The damn old Disney movie didn't say! *Mumbles* Cheap piece of crap.  
  
Riku: When did you look?  
  
Author: When you went to get the popcorn. ^-^ They're at the beginning of the movie on the old videos...then again I could have missed it... *Stops and looks around her room* Where'd Sora go?  
  
Riku: *Shrugs*  
  
Author: * Sighs* Thanks for the reviews my wonderful reviewers. I give you the chance now to review again while I go search for Sora... hopefully nothing has been broken yet. Here Riku! *Hands Riku several sheets of paper before she runs off*  
  
Riku: *Examines the papers* Oh... notes... joy. I guess I'm supposed to read them then, huh? Great. *Sighs*  
  
Rurouni Saiyan's note: Now I have three people correcting my spelling, this is so great. *Bounces up and down* I'll get better for sure, and if I don't then someone needs to hit me over the head with my hard-back dictionary... maybe that should help. I'm glade you liked the story! Yes, I must agree. We torture Riku because we love him. ^-^ The more torture the more love.  
  
Riku: *Blushes as he crumples up the paper and throws it away* Love... whatever... *Mumbles a few more things*  
  
Zanisha's note: First off, I like the name, super cool. ^-^ I'm glade you think it's good so far. I'm so happy! Thanks for the review and for dropping by. *Grins* You are now officially the new review until another one comes along and steals your spot light... sorry but that's the way it goes. *Sighs*  
  
Inuyasha's apprentice's note: I'm super glade you liked my fight scene. Myself I thought it sucked... but that's me. I hate writing fight scenes, and yet I'm going to have tons in later chapters I just know it. *Heavy sigh* I'll get over it. ^-^ Thanks for the review, and I'm glade you're liking it. *Grins*  
  
Riku: Well, I guess I'll be seeing you guys in the next chapter… bye. *Walk off to help find Sora* 


	8. Chapter 7

Author: Okay, I'm going to go off my 'type things at the bottom' code just this once to tell you something very important about the way my story is formatted in this chapter. First off, I do not like this whole new QuickEdit/Privew save thing on here. It wouldn't let me put my squiggly lines on every scene change. ((Growls)) Look it wont even let me do my stars! Evil! I just want to scream. ((Pulls at hair)) So instead I used that stupid line thing that goes all the way across the page for scene changes. ((Starts to cry)) It looks so freakin' bad! What happened to my squiggly lines! So anyway I warn you now it looks hideous. Truly hideous! T.T I miss my squiggly lines already. ((Crys)) But because I love you guys so much I just had to get this chapter out today. If anyone knows how I can get my squiggly lines and stars back please tell me. Thanks, and enjoy.

The Darkness Within  
Chapter 7: Prince John's Attack

* * *

"I must say that this is a most excellent plan your Highness," a green snake hissed as he looked up at Prince John from the floor. The lion prince sat at a desk and counted the new munny that the Sheriff of Nottingham had brought in from taxes earlier in the day.  
  
"Yes, indeed Sir Hiss," Prince John said, "Robin Hood wont be able to resist a prize like the one I'm giving, and since he's an excellent archer I'm sure he'll be the winner." The Prince couldn't help but laugh causing the large crown on his head to slip down. He let out a low growl as he straitened it back up on his head  
  
"He'll never expect what's coming to him," said Sir Hiss as he slithered around on the floor up to the desk.  
  
"Once I've captured him I'll hang him. No, I'll chop off his head," the Prince stopped and thought about it for a moment, "Which do you think is worse Sir Hiss? No head, or hanging by your head?"  
  
"No head sir."  
  
"Yes, me too," Prince John said with a wicked smile, "That should teach him not to rob me blind ever again." Prince John couldn't help but chuckle a bit before he continued to count his munny.  
  
"It wouldn't have happened in the first place if you'd just listen to me," Sir Hiss spat.  
  
"Oh shut up you sniveling snake!" The Prince yelled, and out of frustration throwing his quill across the room. The quill hit the wall and snapped in two before hitting the floor.  
  
"Why sir? That was your mother's favorite quill!"  
  
"…Mother!" The Prince cried out as he started to suck his left thumb and hold his right ear with his other paw. Sir Hiss frowned at the Prince in disgust. It just simply wasn't right for a grown lion prince to suck on his own thumb. It just wasn't in the least bit dignified, and Sir Hiss felt ashamed.  
  
"Oh sir, must you always do that?" Sir Hiss questioned. Prince John just gave him a very ugly look and continued to suck on his thumb. Sir Hiss sighed as he slithered out of the room.  
  
"Good night sir," He said before he closed the door with his tail, leaving the Prince all alone so hopefully he'd pull himself together.

* * *

"Oh this is so exciting!" Jetta exclaimed as she started waving at the contestants, "I can't wait for Robin to win. Which one do you think he is?"   
  
"My guess is the hound," Neron said as he sat on a wooden fence. Jetta was sitting beside him along with Max at his other side; Riku chose to lean against it instead, not trusting his sense of balance.  
  
"No way. He's the stork," Riku said.  
  
"What gives you that idea?"  
  
"He just waved back at Jetta-"  
  
"And gave me a thumbs us sign," Jetta interrupted with a smile, "It has to be him."  
  
"We'll find out when they start, I'm sure he's going to be the winner," Neron said.  
  
"He better win," Jetta growled, receiving eye rolls from all three boys.  
  
"I don't think we should be talking about him so loud, I mean after all he is a wanted man. What if one of these people are going to snitch on him after hearing us?" Max said, "I sure don't want to be the cause of him getting captured."  
  
"Don't worry Max," Jetta said, "Everyone loves Robin. They wouldn't do something so coldhearted."  
  
"I don't know. Munny can change people, after all he's worth ten thousand, and practically all of the people here are poor. They might do it for the munny," Riku said.  
  
"Just in case you don't understand, Riku's telling you to shut you mouth in a polite way," Neron said with a smirk.  
  
"Your such a jerk," Jetta half mumbled before she shoved Neron away from her. He let out a yelp as he started to lose his balance. Waving his arms franticly in the air didn't help shake the grip gravity had on him as he plummeted to the ground. Neron grunted as he hit the ground with a thump, and laid there on his back for a moment or two. Riku simply snickered at the boy, while Max looked off in another direction trying to hold in his laughter. A trumpet sounded, signaling the start of the competition, causing them to forget about the fallen boy.  
  
"Oh boy!" Jetta shouted with glee. Neron was picking himself up off the ground when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked to his left to find a green snake slithering away with a suspicious smirk on his face. The fact that his clothes looked regal didn't help the thought either, so Neron decided to fallow.

* * *

"There is a tie between the Stork, and the Sheriff of Nottingham," An alligator shouted after everyone had their turn at shooting, "We will now move the target back twenty paces."  
  
"Good luck to you Sheriff," The Stork said as he readied his bow and arrow. The Sheriff smiled as he shot off the arrow. It was flying through the air a little above the target, but before it passed a buzzard inside of the target jumped, giving him a perfect bull's-eye. This caused the crowd to boo and hiss, Jetta being the loudest.  
  
"Come on! Are you blind?" Jetta shouted, "That's cheating you dirty rotten Sheriff! Make him shoot it again!" Riku simply sighed while acting as though he had no clue who Jetta was, scooting away from her a step or two.

* * *

"Oh his Highness will be most pleased to hear that I have found Robin Hood," The snake hissed to himself. Neron coked an eyebrow at the snake's comment as he slowly fallowed behind, making sure he was silent and stealthy.  
  
"I guess I can thank those bumbling fools for this," The snake let out a raspy chuckle, "I'll make sure Prince John praises them once Robin Hood is-" The snake started to gag after being grabbed from behind by the throat, apparently Neron had heard his fill.  
  
"We'll see if you tell," Neron snickered, as he looked around for a place to put him. Eventually he shoved him into a barrel of rum and corked it so he couldn't escape.   
  
As he was walking back he noticed something move in a tent. Normally he wouldn't think anything of it, but when the tent fabric lifted slightly from the ground a steamy looking black mist floated out and mixed with the clean air until it disappeared. This one sight worried him so he decided to take a closer look. His eye widened at the site before he took off running for the others.

* * *

"Quite a show you gave us Mr. Stork, you have such an amazing archery skill," The Price praised. He glanced back over at the target, seeing the stork's arrow in the bull's-eye, splitting the sheriff's arrow in half.  
  
"Thank you kindly me lord," The Stork said as he bowed at the Prince.  
  
"A little to amazing if you ask me," The Prince mumbled before he pulled out a sword and sliced the shirt right of the storks back. Robin backed away in fright as the Prince ordered for him to be seized. Immediately he was chained at the neck, wrists, and ankles by the rhino guards.  
  
"Robin!" Maid Marian cried as she tried to reach him, but a guard pushed her back.  
  
"Oh no! We have to save him!" Jetta cried but was held back by Max.  
  
"We can't, that would be interfering, and interfering and meddling are the same thing." Max's words, however, weren't sinking through as Jetta tried to get to Robin, but the strangest thing happened before she managed to get out of his grip.  
  
"Release him!" The Prince cried, a slight worried tone in his voice. The guards gave him an odd look before the Prince spook again, "You heard me! Release him at once you fools!"  
  
"Now, tell the guards to lay off Maid Marian as well," a voice whispered to the prince from behind the curtains. The prince would have ignored this unknown person if it weren't for the fact that he had a dagger to his back.  
  
"Let go of Maid Marian as well," The Prince ordered. Maid Marian was released and immediately she ran into the arms of Robin Hood. The Sheriff of Nottingham, however, was still sore about his loss and knew something was up. A moment later the dagger was pulled away from the prince's back and Little John was thrown to the ground where all could see him.  
  
"What are you doing? Capture Robin Hood! I want his head!" Shouted the Prince. Robin wasn't about to get captured again and took off running with Maid Marian in tow. Jetta had managed to escape Max's hold on her wrist and immediately went after one of the guards that fallowed after Robin, leaving Max and Riku with no chose but to help her.  
  
The three were engaged in a battle with the law now, Jetta on the back of a rhino as she pounded her flaming fist into the back of the animal's head, not doing much damage. Riku was fighting off another rhino in a battle against weapons; his sword verses the rhino's mighty ax. All the while, Max stood off to the side and fired balls of fire at any guard that tried to advance on him, missing a few times.  
  
"You guys we have a problem!" Neron shouted as he ran back to them and stopped after seeing the chaos that had unfolded while he was gone.  
  
"We know!" Riku spat as he pushed the rhino's ax away, slicing at the animal's chest while he was unguarded.  
  
"Not them! Them!" Neron shouted as he pointed behind him. Everyone managed to advert their gaze from the battle and to the swarm of heartless that had fallowed Neron.  
  
"And you just had to bring them to us!" Riku spat as he continued to fight off the rhino. Jetta had lost her concentration for only a moment and that was enough time for the rhino to fling her from his back. She grunted when she hit the ground and went skidding on her back across the ground, stopping only a foot away from a tent.  
  
"Kill anyone who interferes!" the Prince roared, "Let the heads roll!"  
  
At this command black smoke poured from the bottoms of every tent in the fair grounds releasing the monster heartless inside. Jetta, not being the luck one, was engulfed by the black mist. The smoke clung to her, pulling her into the tent kicking and screaming. She managed to let out a terrified shout for help before the strange smoke covered her entire body and pulled her into the black abyss of the tent.  
  
"Jetta!" Max shouted, but nobody was able to escape their separate battles they were in to save her. Just as everyone was thinking this battle against both the heartless and the guards was hopeless, it got worse.  
  
The heartless did something no one would have ever guessed; they stool the hearts of the guards. Though it may seem like this would have helped, it didn't. As the guards stood there, lifeless, their eyes began to glow a bright yellow, and their rough, gray skin turned black. And extra horn grew from the guard's head, and oddly enough more grew from their shoulder blades and down their backs. The rhinos grew in size, and strength, the clothes tore from their bodies as they grew, and the heartless symbol appeared in various places, such as: the forearm, chest, and forehead.  
  
"Shit," Riku cursed, "This doesn't look good."

* * *

"Wow!" Sora awed as he stared at the tall buildings that rose above him. His mouth became more agape when he caught site of the twinkling stars above him, "So this is Skylight City? Amazing!"  
  
"Let's not forget what we came for Sora," Donald quaked.  
  
"Right, we're looking for Max," Sora said as he pulled his eyes away from the beautiful sky and to his feathered friend, "Where should we start?"  
  
"Good question," Goofy said, receiving a glare from the duck.  
  
"Your his father!" Donald quaked, "Where do **you** think he is?"

* * *

The trio ended up on the other side of the city, standing in front of a dance club. Loud music banged from the inside, and even while standing on the other side of the street they could still feel the shock waves. Sora stared up at the bright flashing lights in amazement while Donald tapped his foot and glared at his goofy friend.  
  
"A dance club?" The duck asked, rather annoyed by his tone, "You really think he's in there?"  
  
"Well, it's that or a Gummi ship shop, and I really doubt they have one of those here," Goofy said. Donald simply growled.  
  
"What makes you think he's in there?" Donald asked.  
  
"If I know Max, he'd be avoiding his job, flirting with girls, and well it has music, and Max likes loud music," Goofy explained.  
  
"Good point," Donald sighed, "Come on Sora, lets get going." Donald said as he grabbed the still gawking Sora by the wrist and pulled him into the building with Goofy in tow.  
  
Upon entering the three, meaning Donald, decided it best to split up and look for him, then regroup at the bar in ten minutes. Sora wandered along in the large room of flashing colored lights getting shoved or pushed into someone else. He was constantly saying either "excuse me" or "sorry", getting really tiered of saying the two. He eventually made it to the other side of the room, and once there he wasn't sure of what he should do next. Truthfully he found this a bad idea since he was only vaguely told about what Max looked like.  
  
"Looking for someone?" A womanly voice asked. Sora barely heard her voice above the music, but he turned to see if she was talking him.  
  
"Are you talking to me?" Sora shouted over the music. The young looking woman gave the boy a head nod, she was probably around sixteen, but her makeup made he seem older. Sora simply smiled at the teen, glad that somebody asked so he wouldn't have to.  
  
"Yeah!" He proclaimed, "I'm looking for someone called Max. Do you know him?"  
  
"I don't know anyone by that name, sorry," the girl said, "What's he look like? Maybe I've seen him?"  
  
"Well, I'm guessing he's around this height," Sora said as he raised a hand in the air above him to specify Max's height, "And he looks like my friend Goofy." The teen gave him a strange look, as if not knowing what he was talking about.  
  
"Who's Goofy?" She asked.  
  
"Well, he's in here somewhere," Sora said as he stared to look around again. The girl simply smiled as she took his hand, causing Sora's gaze to snap back to her.  
  
"Maybe he's out on the dance floor," She said, "We can go look for him together."  
  
"Uh... okay," Sora said with a small smile as he got pulled out into the middle of the dance floor by the unknown girl. Immediately she started to move her body with the music, while Sora just stood there feeling out of place. He started to look around, but the girl took him by the hands, trying to get him to dance with her.  
  
"Come on, dance," She said, "Don't tell me you don't know how to."  
  
"But I though we were looking for Goofy?" Sora asked.  
  
"We still are, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun in the process," She said with a smile as she moved in closer.  
  
"W-wait a second," Sora stuttered as he tried to back away from her, "I don't think-"  
  
"Hey! Watch it!" A girl shouted after Sora had backed into her, "Can't you see I'm trying to..." She trailed off as she stared at Sora, as if not believing her very own two eyes, "Sora?"  
  
"Uh... yeah?"  
  
"Oh my gosh!" She gasped, "Sora! It's been so long since I've last seen you!" She squealed as she pulled Sora into a big bear hug and twirled around with him in her arms. Sora could only gasp for air as this strange girl with black hair tried to strangle him in a hug. She then stopped her hug and pulled him away from her. Holding him by the shoulders at arms length she looked him up and down with a smile.  
  
"You've changed so much," She said with a smiled, "Just look at you, so much taller, and your hair!" The girl squealed again as she pulled him into another hug, leaving Sora to gasp for air once again.  
  
"Do I know you?" Sora managed to ask after she pulled away from him again. This question made her frown.  
  
"Don't you recognize me? ... Oh I see what you're doing. Nice try Sora. Don't scare me like that okay," Sora frowned as he looked away, "You're not joking, are you? It's me, Yuffie!" Sora continued to stare at her as if he didn't know what she was talking about.   
  
"Don't you remember me?" She sadly asked. Sora could only shake his head no. Yuffie's frown deepened as she continued to hold him in place by his shoulders, "How can you forget? I could understand if it was ten years, but it's only been one. Are you sure you don't remember?" Sora looked down at the floor, as if thinking. He looked back up at the girl and then solemnly shook his head no.  
  
"I wish I could, but I can't," Sora sighed, "I can't remember anything."  
  
"Can't remember anything?" Yuffie repeated, "You mean to tell me you lost your memory?" Sora sighed again before he gave Yuffie a head nod for his answer. "That's terrible! Come on, let me take you to Squall."  
  
"Squall?" Sora asked, "Do I know him?"  
  
"Yep," Yuffie answered.  
  
"Is he here?" Yuffie could only smile wickedly.  
  
"Yeah he's here all right." Yuffie couldn't help but giggle as she pulled Sora off of the dance floor.  
  
"Hey! That's my date!" The other woman yelled as she tried to chase after the two, but lost them in the crowd of people.  
  
"Squall! Hey Squall!" Yuffie's voice called over the music. Leon slammed his cup down on the bar, cause the people around him to jump and back away, and turned to Yuffie who had made it over to him.  
  
"It's Leon, Yuffie, Leon!" The man shouted in rage, "I hope you're ready to go? I can't stand being in this place another second. I think I'm starting to get a migraine from this loud nose you call music." Yuffie simply rolled her eyes at the man, not really caring what he had to say.  
  
"Look at who I found on the dance floor," Yuffie proclaimed as she pulled Sora from behind her. The man stared at Sora for sometime with his dark blue eyes locked on him before it clicked.  
  
"Sora?" He asked.  
  
"Took you long enough," Yuffie spat, "But we have a problem."  
  
"What's that?" Leon asked, a little concerned.  
  
"Sora lost his memory."  
  
"... What?" Leon practically yelled, gaining a lot of attention from everyone around him.

* * *

It had been at least several minutes and still there was no sign of Jetta emerging from the tent. Riku kept glancing over in the general direction and worried more with every passing second. He was currently in battle with two heartless rhinos, swinging their axes in almost any direction. It was hard on Riku since he didn't know where or when the rhinos would strike, since he normally based his counter attacks on body movement. Not only were their attacks unpredictable, but their movements were too. They wobbled around and leaned in odd directions, as if they were lifeless puppets. Then again maybe that's what the rhino's really were, just puppets being controlled by the heartless that stool their hearts.  
  
Riku had about enough of the rhino's blind attacks and headed for a full force, head on, attack. He got nicked by an ax blade in the back, but in a matter of seconds he had stabbed a rhino directly in between the eyes, but oddly enough it kept on attacking him. Riku backed away quickly, avoiding its attacks rather clumsy like, but nonetheless he avoided them. Finding the whole battle practically useless, he decided to go after Jetta.   
  
Upon approaching the tent he hesitated. He watched as the black smoke swirled in the air around the bottom of the tent and wondered if he would really be able to save her. What if in the process he was pulled back into darkness? But if he didn't at least try then what would happen to Jetta? What if she would submit to the darkness? He didn't want someone else to make the same stupid mistake he had made, so without further hesitation he dove into the darkness.  
  
"Riku?" Neron cried after seeing him enter the tent, "What's he doing? Does he want a death wish?" Max simply shrugged his shoulder at the wolf before he started to attack the heartless again.  
  
"We can't stop battling at this point," Max said, "So lets just hope for the best and maybe Riku will come back with Jetta."  
  
"Easy for you to say," Neron mumbled.

* * *

"This was a bad idea," Riku mumbled to himself as he floated in the darkness, unable to control where he was going at the time. Everywhere he looked all he could see was darkness, no sign of Jetta at all.   
  
After floating around for what seemed like forever he heard a small sound. He listened closely and realized it was Jetta screaming, but she sounded so far away. Franticly, he looked around, knowing he'd only see darkness, but to his surprise he saw a light. It wasn't a bright light, considering that it was fading into the darkness, but while staring at it he heard Jetta scream again. So he called out to her.  
  
"Jetta!" he called, reaching for the light, "Jetta can you hear me?"  
  
"Riku? Riku is that you?"  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"I...I think so," She cried, "Where are you?"  
  
"I'm coming," Riku said, "Just, whatever you do, don't give into the darkness. I know things may seem a little hopeless right now, but trust me okay."  
  
"... Okay." The light seemed to get brighter now, and as Riku continued to talk to her he noticed her voice was getting closer. Finally, Riku had made it to the light and when he reached out for it his fingers grazed across Jetta's hand. After felling his touch Jetta reached out as well and took hold of Riku's arm.   
  
"Hang on," Riku said as he pulled Jetta into his chest, knowing what had to be done. He knew of only one way out, and that was by using the vortex, he just hoped it would work. Lucky for him it did and he made it to were the other end was at the tent's entrance, that way Max or Neron wouldn't see his portal. He didn't want them thinking any different of him by seeing him walk out of a black vortex appearing out of nowhere.  
  
Jetta and Riku came flying out of the tent, landing a few feet away, surprising Max and Neron. Riku panted as he placed a hand on his chest, suddenly feeling a sharp pain. The darkness, it was calling to him, but Riku refused to move, until he saw what was towering over him. Quickly he rolled off to the side avoiding the rhino's ax that was slammed into the ground the moment he moved.  
  
"Riku, are you okay?" Jetta asked, crawling over to him. Riku's vision started to blur, and his hearing dropped to were he could only hear faint sounds as he stared off at the mixing colors. His head was pounding, and the pain only grew worse as he began to lose consciousness. He felt a securing pair of arms wrap around his torso before his world went black and silent.

* * *

Riku: You're so evil. ((Glares at Demon)) I can't believe you made me pass out. It wasn't even from anything big. The least you could have done was made me pass out to loss of blood or something like that. It would have made my effort look more worthwhile.  
  
Author: ((Rolls eyes at Riku)) Oh get over it Riku. Besides, you can't do anything about it anyway for I am the author, and you are just a slave to my magical writer's pen. ((Tries to laugh evilly but fails miserably)) Right... ((Clears throat)) So anyway, I found Sora, nothing was broken. Just a false alarm.  
  
Sora: I had to use the bathroom. ((Grins))  
  
Riku: I think the reviewers could have went living their lives without knowing that Sora. I know I could have.  
  
Sora: I only said it so they would know.   
  
Riku: Whatever Sora. ((Sighs))  
  
Author: Oh yeah! ((Wakes Riku over the head with a pillow)) How dare you throw away my note to Rurouni Saiyan! That was very rude! You can no longer ever read, touch, or even look at the notes to my reviewers. ((Hits Riku with the pillow again)) Never!  
  
Riku: But- ((Gets hit by the pillow again))  
  
Author: I don't want to hear it, you note destroying... person! ((Riku sweatdrops)) Now that that's out of my system, I may now get to what you wonderful reviewers have been waiting for, your notes. - Hurray! The same notes that Riku isn't aloud too read, look, or touch. ((Shoos Riku out of the room))  
  
animefreak321654's note: I don't mind your reviews at all. ((Grins)) Where'd you come up with something like that? I love your reviews. It makes me fell appreciated. I'm super glade you're liking it, and that you thought it was funny. I feel so loved. Thanks!  
  
Rurouni Saiyan's note: First off I'm sorry about Riku's super rude behavior about the note. I swear all that over a little embarrassment. He's such a little baby at times, but we love him anyway. ((Grins)) I'm glade you think my spelling is improving. ((Bounces around the room)) It makes me so happy! I'm super glade you liked this chapter and thanks a bunches for reviewing.   
  
Inuyasha's apprentice's note: The reason I don't like writing fight scenes is because I think I make them so bad. . I'm just not satisfied with them, I don't know why. It's just so frustrating sometimes. So if I ever take long on getting out a chapter it's probably cause I'm stuck on a fight scene trying to make it to my liking. ((Grins)) I'm glade you liked this chapter. I just love Robin Hood so I figured 'hey why not let them go there and make Riku a cute fox?' ((Grins)) And you had a good question there... what would Yuffie be on this world? My guess is maybe a cat or a rabbit... but then again that's just me. Thanks for the review!  
  
Black-Rose72's note: Hello new review! I welcome you with open arms! ((Grins)) I just love getting new reviewers. Can ya tell? I'm so happy that you're liking my story, so very happy. I love your story by the way! Update soon okay. Thanks for the review!  
  
Author: Okay Riku, you can come back in the room now. ((Grins)) I thank you all again for the reviews and I hope to see ya later.  
  
Sora: Bye reviewers! ((Waves))

((Demon hangs up a wanted poster))

Poster: Wanted. Demon's stars and squiggly lines. Reward. Five cookies of your chose. Answer in e-mail or review. You're advise in finding them will be greatly appreciated.


	9. Chapter 8

The Darkness Within  
Chapter 8: Castle Horrors

* * *

"Hey! He's moving!"  
  
"Riku? Riku are you okay? Can you hear me?"  
  
Slowly Riku opened his eyes to a world full of blurred and mixed colors. He blinked a few time, trying to clear his vision, and eventually he could see the colors in shapes. When his vision became close to normal he could see Jetta's worried face looking down at him, Max at her side.  
  
"You okay?" Jetta asked again. Riku moaned as he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.  
  
"W-what happened," Riku finally managed to ask.  
  
"I think we should be asking you that question," Max started. Riku reopened his eyes as he gave the two a questioning look.  
  
"You passed out after you saved me," Jetta explained, knowing Riku was a little confused at the moment.  
  
"...Right..." Riku said as it all started to come back to him. As Riku reminisced on what happed a song started in the back ground, "Where are we, and what happened to Neron?" Jetta simply smiled.  
  
"We're at a celebration," Jetta proclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air with a smile, "It's for Robin and Maid Marian reuniting, and the escape from the evil Prince John. Mainly it's from escaping him, but lets keep it as a party for the two love birds."  
  
"Neron's partying," Max said, answering Riku's other question. Jetta giggled before she added onto Max's answer.  
  
"He got asked to a dance by Ziggy, hasn't been back since," Jetta's smile turned into a grin as she tried to hold in her laughter.  
  
"Partying?" Riku asked as he started to look around. He eventually found where the party was being held, and, at the same time, he also realized what he was laying on. Riku quickly bolted up into a sitting position; a light blush crossing his face, after realizing his head was resting in Jetta's lap. 'How long had I been there?' he asked himself.  
  
"Well, I'm hungry, and that food's starting to smell really appetizing," Max said as he started to walk off, "Come when you feel fit to, Riku."  
  
"Are you felling well enough to go party?" Jetta asked as she stood.  
  
"Wait... what happened after I passed out? How did we win?" Riku asked, a little curious about the subject.  
  
"Well, technically we didn't win," Jetta said, "Robin came back after taking Maid Marian to a safe place, and after seeing you unconscious he decided to get you away from the battle as well. Me, Neron, and Max continued to fight, not making much progress, until Lady Kluck and Little John stepped in. We managed to defeat at least three rhinos and a ton of heartless before we decided it best to flee. There were just too many. Anyway, you know how the rhino's were acting all strange, almost like zombies?"  
  
"Yeah."   
  
"Well, it turns out that they were zombies," Jetta proclaimed, "The only way they could be defeated was by destroying the heartless that was controlling them-"  
  
"The ones that stool their hearts."  
  
"Exactly!"  
  
"Wait a second, how do you know their hearts were stolen?" Riku asked, "You were still in the darkness when it happened."  
  
"Neron filled me in on it," Jetta said with a smile, "But isn't that whole thing just kinda odd? Or am I the only one who thinks so?" Riku shook his head.  
  
"No, it is odd," Riku said, "They couldn't do that before. Which means they have gotten stronger..."   
  
"What was that?" Jetta asked, not catching the last part since Riku had said it so low.  
  
"It's nothing," Riku sighed as he stood from the ground, "I just wish I could have helped more."  
  
"Oh but you did Riku," Jetta said with a smile, getting a questioning look from the albino fox, "You saved me didn't you? By the way! I didn't get the chance to thank you." Jetta smiled before she wrapped her arms around Riku in a big hug, "You the best Riku."  
  
"Um... it was nothing." Jetta simply smiled at him as she pulled away.  
  
"Come on Riku! Lets go party!" Jetta shouted as she grabbed him by the wrist, dragging him along behind her, "You dance don't you?"  
  
"I can but I don't like to," Riku answered, "Why?"  
  
"You're going to dance with me. That's why."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"Yep," Jetta laughed before they reached the party.

* * *

"He throws an angry tantrum if he can not get his way. He calls for mom and sucks his thumb, and doesn't want to play," The Sheriff of Nottingham sang cheerfully as he marched into the castle, "Soon to be known as John the first he's sure to be know as John the worse." The wolf ended his little song with a high pitched out of tune note, before he leaned against Sir Hiss's desk. The snake could only laugh in amusement after hearing this little song.  
  
"Where ever did you get such a tune?" The snake asked, peering over his glasses.  
  
"Everyone in town is singing it, though I might too," The Sheriff answered, "It's a mighty catchy song anyway."  
  
"Indeed it is. May I try?"   
  
"I'm not stoppin' ya." Sir Hiss smiled as he cleared his throat, preparing to sing to his heart's content.  
  
"To late to be know as John the first, he's sure to be known as John the worst-t," Sir His began to stutter and shake in fright at the sight of Prince John in the doorway. Quickly he decided to change the song, "I mean fabulous, marvelous-"  
  
"No, no, no. Now you're just messing it up," the Sheriff said with a frown, "It's sniveling, groveling-"  
  
"Enough!" The Prince shouted, "How dare you sing such a song in 'my' castle!"  
  
"But Sir, everyone in town is singin' it," The Sheriff stated, a slight worried hint to his voice as he backed away from the Prince.  
  
"Is that so?" The Prince asked as he calmly walked over to the two, "Then how about I just raise the taxes and squeeze every last drop of munny out of those, musical, little peasants."  
  
"Do you want me to double it then?" The Sheriff questioned.  
  
"No, triple it, quadruple it for all I care!" The Prince shouted with an evil smile, "And if they can't pay, arrest them, throw them in jail!" The Prince laughed. "That should teach them to make fun of me."

* * *

Friar Tuck smiled at the still sleeping forms, resting in the church pews, as he passed them by. Since the four outsiders had no place to stay, Friar Tuck let them stay at the church until they found a more suitable place. It was early in the morning, but the dreary weather outside made it seem close to nighttime. The rain poured down and beat against the windows and roof, creating a soothing sound.  
  
"Empty," Friar Tuck sighed after checking the poor box, like he did every day.  
  
"Here Friar Tuck," Said a small voice from below. The friar looked down to find a mouse rolling a single coin of munny out from his hole. "I know it's not much, but take it."  
  
"I couldn't do that," Friar Tuck said with a warm smile.  
  
"It's okay, I was saving it for a rainy day anyway," The mouse said, holding up the coin with a smile.  
  
"Bless you," The friar said as he took the coin and placed it in the poor box, "It's a shame that Prince John raised the taxes. Everyone that couldn't pay was thrown in jail. I wonder if anyone will come to the services today?"  
  
"If they can't come then maybe you can just ring the church bell. Just to let them know there's still a sign of hope," The mouse suggested.  
  
"That's a marvelous idea!" Friar Tuck proclaimed. As he was walking towards the rope to the church bell, old Sheriff of Nottingham came trotting in like he owned the place. The first thing he did was walk over towards the poor box to take a peak.  
  
"Morning to ya Friar Tuck," The Sheriff greeted warmly before he opened the box to find the single coin, and frowned a bit.  
  
"What are you doing Sheriff?" The friar shouted as he ran to stop him, "That's for the poor!"  
  
"Good, most of them couldn't pay full for their taxes," The Sheriff said as he held up the single coin, "I doubt this will help them, but it's a start."  
  
"How dare you!" Friar Tuck shouted, waking up the light sleeping Riku, "You must have absolutely no heart to come in here like you own the place and take munny from a church, and not only that, but the munny is going to people who need it! Unlike you, who's working for that no good Prince, taking munny away form others like it's the highlight of your life!" Friar Tuck was enraged, to say the least, and he had been for some time. As he shouted and yelled at the Sheriff, giving him what he disserved, he kept pushing him out of the church. Eventually both were standing out in the rain, Friar Tuck still yelling at him.  
  
"I can't believe you have the self-esteem to go anywhere, with so many people hating you and all. I find it quite appalling that you can walk around whistling a marry little tune, knowing good and well what kind of wrong you are doing!"  
  
"Alright now!" The Sheriff said, now pushing back, "I've had enough of your mouth! You're going to jail!"  
  
"Not without a fight I'm not!" Friar Tuck shouted before he picked up a piece of wood and started to swing it around violently, smacking the Sheriff in the face or gut several times before he was fully arrested. Somehow, the Sheriff had managed to snap a collar to his neck and chained his wrist together, rendering the friar unable to fight back anymore.  
  
"Friar Tuck!" Jetta shouted as she ran out side, fallowed quickly by Riku and Neron. Before Jetta had a change to beat the living tar out of the Sheriff, like she was planning to, Riku and Neron had managed to catch her, stopping her before she could reach him.  
  
"A wise decision boys," The Sheriff chuckled, "If she was to have laid one of her little claws on me I would have arrested her for being an accomplice to this insane man who calls himself a man of the church."  
  
"You have no room to talk you rotten excuse of a Sheriff!" Jetta shouted. The Sheriff simply laughed as he pulled the friar away in chains. Once they were out of site Riku and Neron found it fit to let the feline go since she wasn't struggling any more.  
  
"How could you do that?" Jetta shouted as she turned her furry on the two boys, Max wisely stood behind in the dry church, watching the scene play out from afar, "Why did you hold me back?"  
  
"Look Jetta, we're just as mad about this as you are, but fighting isn't always the answer," Riku said softly, "Sometimes fighting can only worsen the situation, like right now for example."  
  
"I know, but he just arrested Friar Tuck, and man of the church. He had no right to be arrested out of the cause of good!"  
  
"Didn't you see him lashing on the Sheriff-"  
  
"He was going to arrest him before that!" Jetta yelled, interrupting Neron.  
  
"She's right he was," Riku sighed, "This is just madness, we have to do something-"  
  
"No!" Max yelled for the church, knowing exactly what the albino fox was thinking,   
  
"That's meddling! We can't meddle!"  
  
"Meddling or not, I'm helping! That man has done nothing but care for us since we got here, and I feel as if it is my sworn duty to at least assist in saving him," Jetta spat before she started to walk away.  
  
"Wait!" Riku called out, "Where do you think you're going?"  
  
"To find Robin. I know he'll help," Jetta answered, before she continued on. Riku looked to the ground for a moment, thinking about what Jetta had said, letting the rainwater drip off of his snout. Eventually he came to the conclusion of helping as well, and ran off to catch up with the feline. Max, and Neron soon fallowed as well even if it was meddling.

* * *

Much later that day, close to eleven at night, Little John and the others sat in the bushes on the outskirts of the castle, waiting for Robin to give them the signal to enter. Max sat off to side and bit at his thumb nail with a worried look on his face. He seemed to be the only one that really cared that they were meddling. Robin appeared at the gate entrance moments later, waving for them to fallow him. Quietly they entered the castle through another gate that Robin had cleverly opened, making absolute sure not to wake the Sheriff that was resting peacefully by the gate.  
  
"Okay," Robin whispered after entering well inside the castle, "Little John's going to take you four so you can help release the prisoners while I go do a little 'barrowing'." Robin gave the group a wink of his eyes before they spit up.  
  
While Little John and the others were freeing the prisoners, Robin had made it safely to Prince John's bed room. Once he entered from the balcony he shot an arrow off with a rope tied to it into the bared windows of the jail cells. Moments later Little John had looped it through an empty shackle on the wall and shoot it back towards Robin. Once every prisoner was freed, sakes of munny started to come through the bared windows by the rope.  
  
"Take all the munny you can and we'll leave as soon as Robin is through," Little John whispered as he started to hand each of the animals sakes of munny to carry out.  
  
It was around the last bunch of sakes when he got caught. One of the bags had a hole in it, and was dropping coins of munny onto the floor. Several dropped onto the head of Sir Hiss, waking him up and causing an outrage. Robin grabbed the last sake and hopped on the rope, sliding out of the bed room window, just as Prince John woke up to find he had been robed blind.  
  
"Get him!" the Prince shouted, "Get Robin Hood! I want his head!"

* * *

"What was that?" Jetta screamed after there was a loud bang at the jail room's door.  
  
"Something's trying to get in!" Max shouted.  
  
"Heartless," Riku growled, "Little John, get every one out of here, I'll go hold them off." No one had time to stop him before he went running off with his sword drawn through the door, slicing the three heartless that were trying to break down the door. He continued his attack on the ones behind them until the doorway was cleared.  
  
Everyone started to flee the room with Max, Neron, and Jetta ushering them out, making sure that if any heartless escaped from Riku's attacks that they'd get it. Robin showed up at the bared window and passed John the last sake of munny before he dropped to the ground outside, telling John he'd find his own way out. Once the room was cleared, Little John and the others took their leave.  
  
"Riku come on!" Jetta shouted a little ways down the hall after realizing Riku wasn't fallowing.  
  
"Go on ahead, I'll catch up!" Riku grunted as he fought off the heartless.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Just go!" Jetta stood in the hall a moment longer, realizing Riku wasn't going to let her stay and help or fallow anytime soon, so she took off after the others. Riku glanced back; making sure Jetta was out of sight, before he held his hand in front of him. His aqua blue eyes started to glow as he pushed the heartless away, making them disappear back into the darkness. Once he couldn't handle it anymore he lowered his hand and fallowed in the other's direction.

* * *

"Where's Jetta at?" Max asked once everyone had escaped the castle, "Wasn't she behind you?"  
  
"She was..." Neron said, a slight worried hint to his voice. He looked back after helping a raccoon into the back of a wagon to find Jetta, just now, running out of the gates carrying Bouncy in her arms, since she had been left behind again. She had several arrows shot at her, luckily they all missed, but she had been caught and she wasn't going to get away easily.  
  
The iron bars to the front gate started to lower rather fast, causing Jetta to pick up her pace, though she knew she wouldn't make it. She reached the bars just as they hit the ground with a metal clang that echoed through the night. Neron ran up to the bars just to get Bouncy shoved into his arms.  
  
"Take her and the others to safety," Jetta ordered, "I'll go back and get Robin and Riku then find my own way out." Neron opened his mouth to object, but Jetta went tarring off, dogging arrows, back into the castle.  
  
"We have to go help them," Neron stated as he placed Bouncy with her family and turned to Max. Max gave him a quick head nod before they started off to find a way in, ignoring Little John's shouts to stay by the wagon.

* * *

Jetta was retracing her steps as she ran through the castle halls to hopefully run into Riku, which moments later she did, literally. As she turned a corner she ran smack dab into Riku's chest, sending them both to the ground. Riku growled as he sat up, rubbing his throbbing head, making him feel like he had hit a brick wall. He then glared down Jetta, who had fallen on top of him, just as she was getting up. Wait... Jetta?  
  
"Jetta!" Riku shouted, "What the hell? I thought I told you to go! You don't listen, do you?"  
  
"I did leave!" Jetta screeched, "But the guards spotted me and closed the front gates. We have to get Robin and find another way out of here."  
  
"Leave it to you to get the easiest way out sealed," Riku sighed, "What about Max and Neron?"  
  
"They got out," Jetta said as she stood with the help of Riku. It was then that Riku remembered what he was running from. His ears suddenly perked up and turned to face behind him. All he heard was the faint sound of scurrying foot steps and every once in a while claws scratching at the stone floor, and that was all he needed to hear to get him moving again.  
  
"Lets go find Robin," He said as he grabbed Jetta roughly by her upper arm, practically dragging her along behind him since it was hard for her to keep up in a dress.

* * *

"Come one Max, pick up the pace," Neron complained as the two scaled the castle wall with a few vines that had been growing on it for several years.  
  
"You're the one who didn't want to go first," Max spat. The dog was getting fed up with the weak vines that kept breaking in his hands, slowing him down, and not only that but Neron's whining was starting to get annoying as well.  
  
"Well I guess that was a big mistake on my part," Neron mumbled, "Are we almost to the top?"  
  
"Almost."  
  
"Good cause I'm tired of having to look up only to find your ass is my only view."  
  
"Hey!" Max shouted, "Whose idea was this?" Neron quickly shut up as he mumbled a few things under his breath. Just as Max was reaching the top of the castle wall, the main vine snapped and Max went plummeting to the ground, taking Neron with him. Both hit the ground making a painful sounding thud echo off of the castle walls.  
  
"...Maybe... we should have went up one at a time," Neron grunted from below Max.   
  
"That would have been the better plan," Max mumbled, "Now what do we do?"  
  
"How about you get off me for a start?" Neron spat, shoving Max off, "Do you think there are any other vines? We could try again-"  
  
"Oh no," Max cut in, "No more vines."  
  
"Then how are we supposed to get in?"

* * *

Jetta screamed as a barrage of arrows came flying her way, and just before they hit Riku pulled her behind a pillar. Most of the arrows hit the stone pillar and ricocheted off while the others imbedded themselves in the ground. Riku glanced around the pillar only for another barrage to be shot at him.  
  
"'Lets go look in the court yard', he says," Jetta growled, "'I bet he's out there finding a way out', he says."  
  
"Shut up Jetta!" Riku spat, "It was a stupid idea, yes, but not entirely stupid."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"We're pretty evenly matched where ever we go, there's no getting away from trouble," Riku said before he explained, "The castle is full of heartless, and the out side is guarded very securely by mindless puppets. Which would you rather handle, take your pick."  
  
"Well, at least we can defeat the heartless." Riku opened his mouth to argue, but finding she was right he shut it without saying a word. Every guard around them was a mutated heartless puppet that couldn't be defeated without finding the puppet master first, and since all the heartless were inside of the castle it was pretty useless to fight them off.  
  
"I hate you."  
  
"Only cause I'm right," Jetta stated with a smug smile on her face, that is until an arrow pierced the pillar right in between the two. Jetta screamed as she backed away, only to get pulled back into the 'somewhat safer' area the pillar created by Riku, just as more arrows were shot at them.  
  
"Where did this one come from?" Riku asked, more to himself then to Jetta as he looked around, not spotting any guards on that side, yet. His eyes soon reached the castle roof, finding the small, distant figure of Robin Hood shooting off arrows at a swarm of heartless that had him cornered.  
  
"Robin Hood?" Jetta gasped as she glanced at what Riku was looking at, "We have to save him."  
  
"I don't think we'll make it in time," Riku stated.  
  
"Of course we will."  
  
"Not unless you can sprout wings and fly us up there," Riku spat.  
  
"Well, we're definitely not going to make it with you downing us both like that!" Jetta shouted, "Why don't you try looking on the positive side for once?" With that said Jetta took her chances and ran off to the other end of the courtyard, getting bombarded by arrows, but she managed to out run, or dodge, them.  
  
Riku frowned as he looked down at the ground, feeling a wave of misery wash over him. Mickey had said the same thing to him; that he was a downer. His mind began to drift away as he thought of his mouse friend. Is he okay? Is he still alive? He could only hope that he was okay, and that the King hadn't fallen into darkness as a last resort. Would Mickey even do that? No, of course not, he was sure Mickey wouldn't do something that drastic.  
  
"Riku!" Riku's head snapped up to find Jetta had made it inside of the castle. "Are you coming or not?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm coming!" Riku shouted back before he ran for the door, dogging arrows along the way.

* * *

"This is ridiculous!" Neron shouted as he ran trough a castle hall fighting off any heartless that stepped in his way, "How many heartless does one villain need?"  
  
"Apparently a lot," Max answered, firing fireballs at the heartless gaining on them from behind. The two had managed to enter through a second story window by scaling the wall, using misplaced stones or cracks big enough grab on to. It was hard, but they managed to make it in, after a few slips.  
  
"I hope we find them soon," Neron mumbled, but stopped short when he didn't hear Max's footsteps behind him anymore. Glancing over his shoulder he found that Max had stopped at the doorway of a room.  
  
"What are you doing?" Neron shouted.  
  
"Come take a look at this," Max said before he slowly walked into the room, almost afraid of entering. Neron growled, but nonetheless he fallowed Max into the room. The boy's mouth dropped slightly out of confusion as he stared at the thrown at the other end of the room. It was a normal king's thrown, but the odd part was the golden yellow light coming from underneath it.  
  
"What's making that light?" Neron asked, unaware of the heartless sneaking into the room behind them.  
  
"Lets go see," Max said as he started to walk up to it, but before he even got two steps a heartless tackled him to the ground. As Max struggled to get up, being pined under now five heartless, Neron fought off a few more that tried to do the same to him. Another group of heartless entered the room and headed strait for the thrown, knocking it over with ease.  
  
"The Keyhole!" Neron gasped, now remembering it's odd glowing light from Skylight City, "They're after the Keyhole!"

* * *

Sora: Hello reviewers! Demon's not here right now because she got stuck with a ton of math homework. Wait... isn't school almost over for you? ((Looks over at Demon who's across the room))  
  
Author: Yes, but that doesn't stop my evil homework giving math teacher from giving me tons of homework. ((Glares at her math book)) Burn you retched book, burn!  
  
Sora: School is so evil isn't it?  
  
Riku: I'd call it a blessing if it got her busy… at least enough to leave me alone.  
  
Author: Since when do I bug you? You're the one fallowing me around trying to annoy the hell out of me you leach! ((Throws her pencil at him, but misses and hits the wall))  
  
Riku: You suck.  
  
Author: I know. ((Sighs)) Now can you hand me back my pencil?  
  
Sora: So since she's busy she asked me to do the talking about nonsense stuff and read the notes to the reviewers. Cool huh? I feel very privileged. ((Gives a big grin)) So... how was everyone's day? Mine was fine. I got to stay at Demon's house and play her video games all day! It was fun... until I lost...which kinda sucks. Don't you just hate it when you lose? I was playing Super Smash Bothers and I was Zelda. She's really pretty, but not as pretty as Kai-...uh... ((Laughs nervously before he continues)) ...Anyway, Riku didn't do much, he was boring. He just sat around and read this little purple book. Myself, I don't think it look that interesting. ((Riku glares at Sora))  
  
Author: You read my journal?!?! ((Gives Riku an very hateful look))  
  
Riku: Looked like a diary to me. ((Smirks))  
  
Author: I'll kill you!!!! ((Chases Riku out of the room with her hard back dictionary, since the pillow wasn't cutting it))  
  
Sora: o.O ...So anyway, my day was pretty good. Oh yeah! Demon wanted me to read the notes for you guys. Good thing I remembered. I sure wouldn't want Demon chasing me around with a dictionary because I forgot to give you guys the notes. No way. So anyway here they are.  
  
Inuyasha's apprentice's note: Apparently someone stole everyone's squiggly lines. ((Glares)) We're going to have to form an angry author mob and find this scoundrel. I call a torch! ((Grins)) You really don't think my fight scenes are bad? ((Grins in excitement)) Oh wow! That makes me so happy to know, even if I still think they are horrible it's good to know somebody likes them. I don't think your fight scene are bad at all, so don't even say they are. I think they are most excellent. ((Grins)) As always, thanks for the review!  
  
Rurouni Saiyan's note: I'm glad you liked the heartless rhinos. You and animefreak321654 seemed to like them. ((Grins)) Truthfully the rhino guard thing was a spur of the moment thing that came up that kinda has to do with something later on... maybe I said to much. ((Grins sheepishly)) Look at that, you made me ramble about important stuff, for once. LOL! I would have done it eventually. Thanks for your review! It was most appreciated.  
  
animefreak321654's note: You liked the rhinos too, how cool is that! I'm super glad that you liked it. It's okay that you don't know where my squiggly lines and stars are, even if I wish you did so it'd make my life a little easier. ((Grins)) I'm gonna start an angry mob to get them back, wanna join? I'll call it 'Give me back my stars and squiggly lines' mob. Very original, I know. ((Nods head)) Thanks a bunch for you review. I loved it! ((Grins))  
  
Sora: Well, that's all folks. ((Laughs)) I've always wanted to say that. ((Grins)) I hope you'll join us for the next chapter of this story, and hopefully Riku will be back as well. I can only pray for his safe return. ((Goes silent for a moment or two)) Bye-bye Demon's faithful reviewers! 


	10. Chapter 9

The Darkness Within  
Chapter 9: Fall of the Phony King

* * *

Leon paced the floor of a normal hotel room, arms crossed and eyes focused on the blue carpet below him, thinking about the new news. He stopped to look up at Sora, who was sitting on the bed squirming a little under his gaze, then let out a heavy, frustrated sigh before he continued to pace. This had been going on for a good ten minutes since they arrived at the hotel room. Yuffie watched, trying to wait patiently for Leon to say something, while taping her foot; that's around the time that he stopped as if deciding on something.  
  
"Are you sure you don't remember anything about the Keyblade?" Sora shook his head, "Not even the word reminds you of anything?" Sora shook his head again.  
  
"Great," Leon groaned as he turned to walk away, "The Keyblade Master can't even remember what he's the master of." Sora frowned sadly before he glanced down at his feet, slightly ashamed of himself.  
  
"It's okay Sora," Yuffie said as she laid her hand on his shoulder, "It's not your fault you forgot. It could have been something in that world."  
  
"Then why didn't we get amnesia?" Donald asked, who was sitting at the far side of the room on a small couch with Goofy leaning on the armrest.  
  
"Maybe... maybe it was... psychological," Yuffie said, having trouble remembering the word, "What if Sora was just hiding his true feelings about how he felt? Then in an after affect he just temporarily lost his memory while trying to push the horrible ones out of his head."  
  
"Is that even possible?" Leon asked.  
  
"It was only a thought," Yuffie huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest, puffing her cheeks out in anger.  
  
"If that was true then we wouldn't be able to find out anyway until Sora fully restored his memory," Donald stated, "He can hardly remember anything now. I doubt he'll remember what he thought about everything that happened."  
  
"True," Yuffie sighed. Sora's frown deepened as he looked over at Leon. He's back was turned to everyone in the room as he leaned against the wall, but something else drew the boy's attention. Sora gasped as he stared at the lion head sewn into the back of Leon's jacket.  
  
"That lion!" Sora gasped again, "I remember it!"  
  
"What?!" Everyone shouted.  
  
---------------Flash Back (Sora's POV)---------------------  
  
_"You did good," Leon said with a smile as he seamed to limp toward me. I smiled back as I rose from the grown, almost not making it. I had taken quite a beating it seemed.  
  
"Yeah well, you weren't that easy to beat," I laughed, looking at another man, with wild blond hair and piercing blue eyes, that almost seemed to glow, who had just stood from the ground, "I'd be pretty worried if you said you'd been taking it easy on me."  
  
"I want you to have this," Leon said as he reached out to me with a closed hand, "Think of it as a token for the last time you beat me." I smiled as I stretched my open hand out to his. He dropped an object in my hand, and when I took a closer inspection of it, it was a lion head key chain.  
  
"Oh wow!" I exclaimed, "It's a chain for my Keyblade!"  
  
"It's the Lionheart," The blond man explained, "Clip it on. Let's see how it looks."  
  
"Okay!" I lifted up my Keyblade, stumbling a bit since I was using it to prop myself up, and unclipped the current chain, and replaced it with the new one. In a bright silvery light my Keyblade changed into the Lionheart, a magnificent and powerful looking Keyblade. I could only smile.  
  
'My... Keyblade?'  
_  
---------------------------  
  
"The Lionheart..."  
  
"That's the chain for your Keyblade I gave to you after you defeated me in the Hates cup," Leon said, now giving Sora his full attention, "You remembered?"  
  
"It was your jacket," Sora said with a smile, "There was another guy with you. He had spiky blond hair, this mahogany colored cape, and some kind of golden claw on his left hand-"  
  
"Cloud?" Yuffie questioned.  
  
"That's right, you had to fight both of us to advance," Leon stated, "The Keyblade, do you remember it now?" Sora stared down at the floor as his mind suddenly surged, flashing pictures of each and every Keyblade he had. Eventually his mind stopped at one scene that didn't seem to just blink by in a flash.  
  
-------------------------------  
  
_ I was standing in a dark puddle of ooze as a storm raged around me and another person, stuck in the supstance as well. I looked up at him, but all I could see of him was his black-gloved hand, reaching out at me, and silver hair. I tried to see his face but the black fumes that rose out to the ooze covered it and twisted around his body. I reached out for him, but the ooze wouldn't let me reaching him, and he was devourer by the darkness. Now left alone I struggled to get out, but the darkness took me as well.  
  
It was dark; I could see nothing but the dreary color of black no matter where I looked. I began to worry, maybe I was even frightened, that I had gone blind, or would never see the light of day again. It was then that a flash of light sparked from the darkness, clouding my vision and taking over the darkness, consuming me; I covered my eyes to shield them.  
  
Felling safe to look, I opened my eyes to find that I was standing in the sand. The clouded night sky was above me as the wind fiercely whipped around, like it was trying to knock me down. Something was different. I knew it. I looked down and in my hand and there was this giant key. I watched in amazement as the light faded from around the strange object.  
  
"Keyblade..." I heard a voice said. I looked around, but could see nobody.  
  
"What?" I questioned the voice.  
  
"Keyblade..." The voice echoed, seeming to get softer.  
  
"Keyblade?" I repeated while looking down at this new weapon I held in my hand. But where did it come from?  
_  
--------------------------  
  
"I remember it..." Sora whispered before his head snapped up to look at Leon, "I remember it!" A wide grin formed on the boy's face as he began to jump up and down with excitement, hooting and shouting with glee.  
  
"I remembered the Keyblade!" Sora began to chant in a singsong voice as he ran over to Donald and Goofy, grabbing just one of their hands as he swung their arms along with him as he bounced around. Goofy chuckled with a "huck" while Donald just glared at the boy. Sure Donald was happy for him, but did he have to try and rip his arm off in the process.  
  
"The real question is, can you summon it?" Leon asked, ruining Sora's happy moment.  
  
"Summon it?" Sora question as he turned to face the man.  
  
"Well, if you know now what it looks like, and what it is, the least you could do is summon it," Leon said as he crossed his arms over his chest, "What good is the Keyblade going to do you if you can only remember it?"  
  
"How do I summon it?"  
  
"Just reach inside yourself," Yuffie said as Sora gave her a questioning look, "Well you don't see it attached to your belt now do ya?" Sora knew it wasn't there, but oddly enough he found himself glancing down at his hips just to check.  
  
"Just try and see what happens," Leon said.  
  
"Relax and think of nothing but the Keyblade," Yuffie added, "Call to it, it'll come. You're its master after all." Sora took in a deep breath before he closed his eyes and relaxed, doing just as Yuffie said. He thought of nothing but the Keyblade as he stood in silence.  
  
'Keyblade...' Sora's mind called out. There was a tingling sensation in his fingertips as he continued to call to it; then it happened. The sensation in his fingers ended when they came in contact with metal. Sora's eyes shot open and looked down at his hand, and there it was, the Keyblade.  
  
"You did it!" Yuffie shouted and she hopped off the bed, and ran to give Sora a big bear hug, practically squeezing the life out of him.  
  
"Yeah... I did it," Sora breathed after Yuffie had released him. His blue eyes fell to the strange weapon in his hand as if pulled into a trance by it. Having it there in his hand felt so right, and he knew that he had handled it before, but it felt like he was holding it for the very first time again. It was just like his flashback, except now he could hold it in his hand, swing it about, and battle with it once again, but the best part about it was that it wasn't a memory any more, but what about the boy.  
  
Sora's eyes softened as he continued to stare at his weapon. 'What about that strange boy with the silver hair? Why where we getting pulled into the darkness? Was he a friend? I remember I was reaching out to him, but I could have just been trying to help.' Sora frowned as even more questions popped into his head, and it took him a while to realize everyone in the room was giving him a questioning look.   
  
"What?" Sora questioned as he glanced at them all.  
  
"Nothing Sora," Donald sighed, thinking the boy was just spacing out again, like he did a lot now a days.

* * *

"No!" Neron yelled as he fought against the heartless's grip on him. He watched as several of them stared hungrily at the Keyhole as they slowly advanced on it, "Get away from that!" Neron continued to shout either pleas for the heartless to leave it alone, or random insults that rolled off his tongue, most not fit to say.   
  
Neron had had enough of the heartless and started to squirm in their grasp, only succeeding in the heartless chousing to hold a tighter grip on him. The claws of the heartless were now digging into his arms and legs, trying to get him to stay in one place, and soon something else seemed more appetizing to the heartless than the world's heart, and that was Neron's heart.   
  
His will to over come the heartless and fight for his freedom seemed to make his heart shine with power, attracting the heartless. Every heartless in the room then pounced on the boy, knocking him to the floor and pilling on him to where he was having trouble breathing. The heartless made one mistake in doing this though, they released Max.  
  
"Hang on Neron, I have a magic spell that'll save you," Max said, holding out his wand. "Wind!" A small breeze suddenly picked up in the room before the heartless went flying off of Neron in all directions by a strong wind current, slamming them into the wall or the floor, even the ceiling. Neron gasped for air as he lay on the floor, his clothes in a tattered mess. He was bleeding from many small scratch marks covering his body, along with several deep gashes around his chest. This however wasn't going to stop him. The Keyhole was still in danger.  
  
Grunting, Neron stood up slowly, finding the strong wind currents blowing around his body helpful in the process. The Keyblades appeared in his hands as he neared the Keyhole, leaving Max to fight off the rising heartless as Neron sealed the Keyhole. A soft click echoed through the room, catching the heartless's attention, they had lost all hope of ever getting this worlds heart. This seemed to anger them as they started another ruthless attack. The battle waged for a few minutes until every heartless in that room was defeated. Now was the perfect time for the two to rest.  
  
"You did good," Max said as he handed Neron a potion, the winds around his body subsiding. It was then that Neron realized the wind was the only thing keeping him up as he fell to the stone floor with a thud. The boy smiled weakly up at Max before he quickly gulped down the green liquid, happy to rid his body of the pain.  
  
"You did good too, Max," Neron finally said, "That was a cool spell. How come you didn't use it before?"  
  
"Truthfully I didn't really know how to do it, I had only seen it done once." Neron's eyes widened as he looked over at Max.  
  
"You mean you were just testing it on me?" Neron asked, "And what would have happened if it didn't work? Did you ever think of that? My life was one the line for crying out loud!" Max could only smile.  
  
"But it worked," Max said with a wide grin, "And on my first try too, man talk about luck. I wonder if I could use all the other spells as well?"  
  
"Well, next time I'm not going to be your test dummy," Neron said, "Use it on Jetta, she's a pain in the neck anyway." Max simply shook his head.  
  
"Look at you, talking tough while she isn't around to pummel you for that comment." Max could only laugh at the dirty look Neron gave him.

* * *

"They're gaining on us!"  
  
"I know that Riku!" Jetta spat as she ran ahead of Riku up a spiral staircase that seemed to go on forever.  
  
"Do you even know where you're going?"  
  
"Up." Riku growled at Jetta from behind.   
  
He knew she was trying to get up as high as she could to reach the roof, but what if they ended up in a high tower with no escape. If that happed then they'd have to fight off the swarm of heartless that were on their heels. Jetta let out a small happy shout when she finally reached a door. Riku, being the impatient one while the heartless were after them, shoved her in the room and slammed the door behind him before locking it with a plank of wood.  
  
"This isn't what I expected." Riku turned around to find they had wound up in a small room in the tower.  
  
"This is exactly what I didn't want to happen," Riku sighed just as the heartless reached the door and started to claw and pound their way in.  
  
"But...uh..." Jetta made small whimpering noses as she paced the small room, "I hope we're not too far away." Jetta let out a worried moan as she ran to the window to see exactly how far they were from Robin. She gasped when she looked down to find the fox just below.  
  
"How are we going to get down there?" Riku asked after he peered over Jetta's shoulder to see what she was making a fuss over.  
  
"We'll jump," Jetta said as she started to climb out the window.  
  
"Are you nuts!" Riku shouted as he pulled her back in, "We must be around three to four stories above the roof!" Jetta lowered her head and shook it shamefully at Riku.  
  
"You underestimate me, Riku."   
  
"How so?"  
  
"Just trust me, I'll get us down there," Jetta said before she climbed out the window again. She perched there; holding onto the window seal, for a moment before she turned to look over her shoulder at Riku, "Hop on."  
  
"No way!"  
  
"It's the only way besides having to go through the heartless."  
  
"No thank you," Riku said while shaking his head, "I'll gladly take my chances with the heartless."  
  
"Fine, you fight off the heartless and take the long way," Jetta spat, "Good luck." Jetta then let go of the window seal and started to drop fast.  
  
"Jetta, no!" Riku shouted as he reached out the window and caught her by the back of her dress.   
  
"Let me go, Riku!"  
  
"Are you crazy?" Riku shouted, his grip on the window seal loosening.  
  
"I know what I'm doing!"  
  
"Yeah, like I'm going to believe that," Riku spat, "Now hold still so I can pull you back up."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Let me go!"  
  
"No!" There was a loud crash, making Riku jump and lose his grip just a little more, as the door to the room was knocked off its hinges, letting the swarm of heartless enter.  
  
"Riku trust me," Jetta said softly, "I know what I'm doing." Riku hesitated for a moment, debating on what was the best chose, but Jetta had more to say.  
  
"What happened to you Riku?" She asked, "You looked so daring when we first met. I mean for crying out loud you jumped off a building. This isn't even a quarter of that kind of height."   
  
"I know, and that was a very stupid thing to do."  
  
"But you made it, didn't you?" Riku looked down at her a moment longer before he came to the conclusion that he didn't want to fight off that many heartless alone, so he let go.  
  
His arms immediately flew around Jetta's neck just as she locked her arms around his legs, as they quickly desended to the roof. Riku shut his eyes moments before impact, but right when he did they began to slow down. The sudden lose in speed made Riku's eyes reopen as he watched Jetta work her magic. The flames blasting from her feet slowly died down as she landed, slightly awkward since Riku's extra weight was throwing her off.   
  
"I told you I knew what I was doing," Jetta said smugly as she dropped Riku's legs so he could get off of her back.  
  
"I'm sorry I doubted you," Riku said as he looked down at the soot covered area around them, most of it was ashes from the heartless that she had roasted while landing.  
  
"Oo de lally!" Robin shouted after he had killed the three remaining heartless, "I didn't know you could do that!"  
  
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," Jetta said with a grin.  
  
"A fine performance." Prince John clapped as he stepped onto the roof from a door at the far end, still in his pajamas, "I wasn't expecting the little interference though, but that's alright. Now I can kill the notorious Robin Hood along with two of his accomplices. What a splendid night this is!" The Prince laughed deeply, still advancing on the three, just as Neron and Max appeared in the same doorway he had come from.  
  
"Sorry Prince John, but that's not going to happen," Neron said from behind, Max at his side.  
  
"Do you really think you have a chance of defeating all five of us alone?" Max asked.  
  
"Just give up."  
  
"Never!" Prince John cried, "I am the rightful ruler, and what I say goes. You can't stop me, I rule over you all!" The Prince clenched his fists as he glared hatefully at Robin. For a split second his eyes flashed a dangerous yellow, causing Jetta to gasp.  
  
"Riku, did you see that?" Jetta whispered.  
  
"Yeah, it looks like it's to late for our dear prince," He growled.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"The heartless already have him," Riku answered as he pulled out his sword.  
  
"You're not the ruler Prince John!" Robin spat, "King Richard is, and you know it. Long live King Richard!" This caused the Prince to growl angrily at Robin.  
  
"At least I'll never leave my thrown to go off on a fake quest," the Prince chuckled in amusement at the surprised expression on Robin's face.  
  
"...You sent him off on that mission, didn't you?" Robin asked, "Just so you could get your greedy little paws on all the munny in this land. You don't even deserve to be called a prince you rotten scoundrel!" Prince John simply smirked at Robin Hood.  
  
"Yes, it's such a wonderful plan don't you think?"  
  
"It's a wicked plan, yes, but what would your dear mother think of this." Robin smirked as he watched the Prince's features soften. The fox knew he had hit the weak spot, but what he didn't know was the consequences for doing that.  
  
"Mother..." The Prince muttered as he turned his gaze to the fox, "Mother!" The Prince let out an agonizing roar to the sky, something that Robin wasn't expecting him to do. He thought he was just going to drop down and start sucking his thumb, but he did nothing of the sort.  
  
"I'll kill you Robin Hood!" the Prince shouted as he shifted his yellow glowing eyes to the fox, taking a few steps forward. Robin, Jetta, and Riku took hesitating steps back as they watched a cloud of dark smoke circle around his body, flaring and swirling like the anger that grew inside of him.  
  
"What going on?" Neron gasped as he watched the smoke completely engulf the Prince. Even Neron and Max began to back away from the Prince, and he wasn't even advancing on them; they were just that frightening at the time.  
  
A roar from the Prince came form the clouded smoke, just as two enormous black paws ripped through the smoke. As the smoke parted the five saw that the Prince was changing into something new, something terrible. His fur had changed from a golden yellow to a midnight black, a long wavy mane had sprouted from his head, and as all this was happening he grew in size. The pajamas he was warring tore from his body as he grew until he was half the size of the roof, limiting the group's area to dodge his attacks. He let out another mighty roar that shook the ground and as he roared a light appeared on his forehead. When the light diminished he was left with the heartless symbol printed in plain sight.  
  
"Just what we needed," Neron growled, "Another huge monster to fight."  
  
"Oh quit complaining, Neron," Jetta grumbled before her hands and feet incased themselves in flames, "Let's just get this over with."  
  
"I'm with you on that," Riku said as he readied his sword and charged up to the lion with Jetta at his side, Robin bringing up the rear. On the other side of the lion Prince, Neron summoned his Keyblades, while Max backed away and began his assault with the typical fireball.  
  
The Prince let out a terrible roar as he reared up into the air on his back paws, wobbling a bit in the air to hold his balance. Everyone stared up at the prince with wide eyes as he towered over them for several seconds before he came falling down, slamming his paws into the ground. Everybody fell instantly and watched as the prince curled his lip up in a smirk, proud of his mighty strength.  
  
"Riku, I think we have a problem!" Jetta shouted over to the albino fox.  
  
"Yeah, its black, has yellow eyes, and over twelve feet tall!" Riku spat.  
  
"Besides that," Jetta growled as she shook her head, "Just look at the roof. It can barely hold this much weight, and if he keeps pounding on it it's going to cave in."  
  
"Looks like we have to beat him before that happens then, don't we?"  
  
"It'd be a wise decision," Robin stated, cutting into their conversation, but Robin wasn't the only one who cut into their conversation. The Prince paw came swiping at the three, causing them to flee in different directions.   
  
At the other end of the roof, Max was still shooting off fire spells at the Prince, while Neron tried to get in closer for an attack, but it was a little hard with the prince's tail knocking him about whenever he tried to close in. Neron was now past frustrated, seeing as he hadn't been able to strike the Prince once, as he dismissed his Keyblades and ran strait for the Prince. He stopped right in the path of his tail, and when it came swinging in for a strike Neron grabbed hold of it. At the peak of the tail's swing, Neron let go and landed on the lion's back. Neron summoned up his Keyblades once again and started and all out attack on the back of the Prince's neck.   
  
Seeing as the Prince was currently busy with Robin and Riku, Jetta took the time to drink an ether, since the landing she had made from the tower took a lot of her magic power. Once recharged Jetta ran back into the battle, running right under the Prince, and since Robin was his main goal, she went unnoticed. A smile crossed her lips as she raised both hands into the air and fired off an enormous flame from her hands. The Prince roared in pain as he reared up in the air to get away from the fire, also succeeding in knocking the nuisance from his back.  
  
"Jetta!" Neron shouted after he hint the stone ground with a thump.  
  
"Sorry Neron. I didn't know you were up there," Jetta apologized as she ran as fast as she could to get out of that area before he came slamming back down to the ground.   
  
The Prince let out a growl as he landed back down on all four paws, creating a shock wave that knock everyone off their feet. More cracks formed in the roof as the lion's yellow eyes scanned the area for Jetta, his next victim. Once his yellow eyes reached Jetta a fireball struck him in his left eye. While the prince was hollering in pain Riku and Neron took the chance to attack. Both leapt in the air with their weapons drawn, and sliced each side of his face several times before landing back on the ground. The lion stopped his shouting and lashed out for a counter attack, swiping Neron with his paw.  
  
"Wind!" Max cried. Wind currents picked up around Neron and stopped him in midair before he went crashing head first into a tower.  
  
"Riku," Jetta called out as she ran up to him, "Something's wrong."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Prince John, he's not showing any sign of defeat."  
  
"Well neither did that heartless in Skylight City."  
  
"True, but our attack were slowing it down; weakening it little by little," Jetta stated, "Prince John isn't even slowing down."  
  
"What are you trying to say?"  
  
"What if he's a puppet?" Riku turned to look at Jetta, giving her a questioning look.  
  
"Maybe," Riku said as he looked back at the Prince, watching him attack Robin while Neron and Max tried to strike him down with all of their might. He watched how the Prince didn't even flinch at their strikes, and he even noticed that the eye Jetta shot at was open and working like normal. "What do you suppose we do about it? If he is a puppet then he can't be beaten without destroying the heartless that's controlling him."  
  
"The heartless can't be too far away," Jetta said as she started to look around.  
  
"There!" Riku shouted, pointing to the top of a tower. The heartless he had pointed at jerked his head towards the two, as if knowing it had been spotted, and jumped to its feet.  
  
"I've got it." Jetta fired off several fireballs at it, but the heartless dodged every one of them, leaving Jetta at only succeeding in catching the tower roof on fire. "Damn!"  
  
She fired off several more at it as it crawled down the side of the tower head first, but missed those shots as well. Jetta growled as she ran for the tower, firing off several more blats, this time succeeding in knocking it off the tower, leaving it to plummet to the ground. A smile appeared on Jetta's face as she fired at it in midair, hitting it perfectly in between its yellow eyes. It cried out in pain before it blew up in a cloud of black smoke.  
  
Prince John froze right before his mighty paw was about to hit Robin for a final blow, and everyone else just stared up at him in confusion. A blue colored heart floated through the air until it reached the Prince. It slowly sunk into the Prince black fur at the chest, emitting a bright light that changed the Prince back to his normal self. Robin let out a heavy sigh as he slumped down to the ground.  
  
"Here you go Robin," Jetta said as she handed the fox a potion.  
  
"Thank you kindly, lassie," Robin thanked with a smile before he swallowed the green liquid. Just as everyone was relaxed the entire castle started to shake.  
  
"What's going on?" Neron shouted as he tried to keep his balance.  
  
"The castle!" Robin cried, "It's falling apart!"  
  
"What?" Max shouted as he began to panic, seeing as Jetta's attempt at killing the heartless had set the only tower with a door or fire.  
  
"Hurry! We have to get out of here!" Robin shouted as he picked up the unconscious Prince from the ground.  
  
"Where are we supposed to go?" Neron shouted, "Genius Jetta lit the only tower with a door on fire!" Jetta growled as she clenched and unclenched her fists, fighting the urge to knock Neron up side the head.  
  
"We'll have to jump," Robin answered as he turned his gaze to the roof's edge.  
  
"Not again," Riku whined, as he watched Robin leap off of the roof and into the mote that surrounded the castle.  
  
"It's the only way," Jetta said as she grabbed Riku's wrist as she ran past him, pulling him off the roof with her. Neron sighed as both him and Max hopped of the roof as well, just in time. The five watched from the water below as the castle roof caved in, taking out most of the castle in its wake.  
  
"Robin!" Little John called out as he ran towards them on the bank of the mote. Robin smiled at his friend as he waved back at him weakly, just glad that it was all over.

* * *

Church bells could be heard though out the land, signaling a calm, and a new, happy married couple. Maid Marian and Robin walked out of the church only to be bombarded by millions of flower petals of many colors. Everyone cheered, shouted, and whistled at the newlyweds as they walked up to their coach.  
  
"You guys are the greatest!" Jetta shouted as she draped her arms on the shoulders of Riku and Neron. She grinned at them both, happy that they stayed an extra day and a half to let her participate in Robin's wedding.  
  
"We know," Neron said smugly. Riku gave the two a small smile before he removed Jetta's arm from his shoulder.  
  
"We need to get going," Riku started as he began to walk off, "Max is waiting for us in the Gummi ship."   
  
"Right," Neron said, nodding his head at Riku as he started to follow him.  
  
"Oh and before I forget... I call shotgun." Riku smirked back at the two to find both of them with their mouths slightly agape.  
  
"No far!" Neron cried. Riku lightly laughed at him, not wanting to start an argument like he did with Jetta, and walked off.  
  
"Wait! We can't go yet!" Jetta cried, "They haven't tossed the bouquet!"  
  
"Then you come after they've done that," Riku said, waving her away before he disappeared into the forest. Neron was about to step into the forest as well, but a paw grabbed hold of his arm.  
  
Neron turned around with a heavy sigh, thinking it was Jetta trying to get him to stay just a little longer, but was surprised to find a tall lion standing before him. The lion smiled down gently at him as he released the hold he had on the wolf's arm.  
  
"King Richard?" Neron asked, guessing by the royal clothes and crown placed evenly on his head that is was certainly the King.  
  
"Indeed," The king said, bowing his head slightly to Neron, "I thank you for your aid."  
  
"It was nothing, really," Neron said, "Jetta was really the one who stopped your brother... not me."  
  
"Aye, but it was you who saved my world." Neron stared at him in disbelief as the King took his paw and placed an item in it, "A gift from me to you, Keyblade Master."  
  
"But... how did you-"  
  
"Don't worry," the King said before he winked at the wolf, "Your secret is safe with me." With that said the King walked back to the celebration with a smile of his face.  
  
"How did he know?" Neron asked himself as he opened his paw to find the King had given him a key chain with a red, metal feather attached to it. Neron couldn't help but wonder what this odd trinket was for as he walked back to the Gummi ship.

* * *

Prince John growled as he sat on a rock in, not royal clothes, a prisoner's outfit, black strips and all. Sir Hiss sat on the ground at his side with an equally disgusted look on his face. Along with the Prince and his green little friend, the Sheriff of Nottingham stood off to the side, propping himself up with a sledgehammer.  
  
"It's okay your Highness, we'll get out, and that notorious Robin Hood will get what's coming to him," Sir Hiss said, trying to soothe the Prince's anger.  
  
"Oh shut up Hiss!" Prince John spat, turning his back to the snake. The Sheriff could help but chuckle as he picked up his hammer and started to pound on the rock he was working on before he took his break.  
  
"Hey! You two!" A buzzard shouted from above, "Get back to work!" The Prince shot the ugly bird a nasty look before he picked up his hammer and started to get back to work, along with Sir Hiss.  
  
"Stupid Robin Hood," the Prince mumbled as he slammed the hammer down on the rock in rage, "I'll get you for th-ahhhhh." The Prince started to scream and hop around after successfully dropping his hammer on top of his foot. The Sheriff smiled, suppressing his laughter, as he watched the Prince fall to the ground in pain.  
  
"...Mother!" the Prince cried as he started to suck his thumb. Sir Hiss simply rolled his eyes at the lion before he continued at his new job.

* * *

The Gummi ship was blasting through space at full force heading towards the next destination with Riku up front and center this time. Curiosity danced in Riku's aqua-blue eyes as he glanced at all of the stars in the sky and floating debris of what he could guess were chunks of other worlds' barriers. As he looked on at all the passing things he felt this sudden urge to press his face against the glass to get a better look at it all, but wisely resisted the urge. Sure he had see this before, while using a Gummi ship to go to other world before Maleficent had given him his powers, but he was always driving so he never really got the time to admire it all. It was then that he realized the ship was oddly quiet, almost like an eerie silence, which was unusual with Neron and Jetta in the back seat.   
  
"You two didn't kill each other back there, did you?" Riku asked, glancing over his shoulder.  
  
"No..." Jetta sighed. She was currently sulking over not catching the bouquet, more downed about it than she should have been, and disappointed that Ziggy caught it instead of her. The worst part about it was that she was standing right next to her. Riku looked over towards Neron, seeing him fiddle with something in his hand, and in deep thought by the look on his face.  
  
"What do you have there, Neron?" Riku asked, but the boy was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn't hear the question.  
  
"Hey clueless, you've been asked a question," Jetta spat as she slapped him up side the head.  
  
"Hey!" Neron shouted as he knocked her hand away defensively, "What was that for? I wasn't bothering you!"  
  
"Riku asked you a question stupid." Neron glared at her and wisely chose not to fight back with her, since he was in her arm's reach.  
  
"What is that?" Riku asked as he pointed at the object Neron held in his hand.   
  
"Good question," Neron said as he started to stare at it again, "King Richard gave it to me."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Saving the world," Neron answered, "He knew I was the Keyblade Master."  
  
"...Really?"  
  
"Yeah..." Neron said as he rubbed his thumb across the red feather.  
  
"Can I see it?" Neron looked up at Riku before he tossed him the key chain. His aqua-blue eyes scanned the item for a moment before he tossed it back at him.  
  
"It's a chain for your Keyblade," Riku stated, "My friend Sora had them too. I remember seeing different types that he had with him at times."  
  
"What do I do with it?"  
  
"I guess you just clip it onto one of your Keyblades." Neron looked down at the key chain before he summoned up one of his Keyblades. He then replaced the feathered key chain with the star shaped one that was currently on his Keyblade.  
  
Everyone but Max, since he was driving, watched as the Keyblade glowed in an odd, yet almost familiar, light as it transformed. The ivory color changed into a bright gold, and so did the shape; looking fiercer than the one he used have. The jagged key part curved towards the handle and had several sharp edges, and the tip turned into what looked like a hook, what the hook was for was another question.  
  
"Kindthief," Neron muttered.  
  
"What?" Jetta asked.  
  
"Kindthief. It's written right here on the Keyblade," Neron pointed out, "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"It's the name of the Keyblade," Riku stated, "Every different type of Keyblade has a name."  
  
"Kindthief... I like it," Neron said as he swung it around, almost hitting Jetta in the process, "It feels stronger, or maybe it's just heavier. I don't know, but there's something very different about this one."  
  
"Maybe it is stronger," Riku said, turning around just in time to see the new world.  
  
"Get ready for our next adventure," Max said as he pulled in closer to the new for a landing, "Now remember-"  
  
"No meddling," Jetta spat from behind, "We know!"  
  
"Are you sure?" Neron asked, "You got us into a lot of things on the last world."  
  
"I was helping!"  
  
"Yeah... whatever," Neron spat as he rolled his eyes at the girl, "Just no baby sitting this time, okay." Jetta growled as she reached out and smacked Neron across the head before he had time to block. Neron looked over at her with death written in his eye, only receiving a sweet smile, almost evil looking, from Jetta.  
  
Riku just shook his head absently at the two, not caring if they started an all out war in the back seat, just as long as they kept it between themselves. It was then, while Neron and Jetta argued, that Riku took the time to look at this new planet. The bottom half of the world was covered in a large city that turned into a forest around the edges of an ocean. At the very top of the world sat an island that rose high out of the water, looking somewhat like the jagged edges of a mountain peak. As Riku continued to stare at the island it seemed to frighten him with its dark gloomy appearance. Yes, this world looked interesting to the silver haired boy, that's for sure.

* * *

Sora: ((Blushing)) I got glomped.   
  
Riku: Shut up Sora! We know!  
  
Sora: ((Pouts)) You're just jealous. ((Riku mumbles))  
  
Author: So... I'm now finished with Sherwood Forest, and I'm quite pleased at how it turned out. Go me!  
  
Sora: Wait... does this mean no more Lady Kluck? ((Pouts))  
  
Author: Sorry Sora.   
  
Sora: But I liked Lady Kluck. T-T  
  
Author: There's always the movie. ((Sora smiles)) Man... this is my longest chapter so far. I didn't realize how long it was until I started checking it, LOL. But that's not a bad thing, right? ((Grins)) Well, since this world is over with it's now time to guess the next world to win another cookie. This world has nothing to do with Disney; in fact it's an Anime. It involves sprits, demons, and well a whole lot of ugly demons. Actually not all of them are ugly; some are just drop dead gorgeous. ((Drools))  
  
Riku: Save some of that for me now. ((Gets hit by a pillow))  
  
Author: Don't get coceited Riku, it's bad for you. ((Sighs)) Yeah, I let Riku live, why I'll never know.  
  
Riku: It's my charm.  
  
Author: ((Snorts)) Whatever. My mom's the one that saved you. ((Mumbles)) She took my hardback dictionary away and gave me this crummy flexible one. . What damage is this stupid thing supposed to do?  
  
Sora: I think that's the reason why she gave it to you. ((Demon glares at Sora))  
  
Author: Shut up Sora. ((Glares)) Now I'm back to square one with a useless, painless pillow. ((Whacks Riku with the pillow several times)) This is your entire fault! ((Mumbles)) Lets see, where was I before I got completely off subject?  
  
Sora: You were telling the reviewers about the next world.  
  
Author: Oh yeah! Thank you Sora. Like I said it's an Anime, but that's all I'm telling you. I think I should have given enough away in the world description. I just hope I didn't give away too much, though it probably did. ((Sighs)) I just want it to be challenging, since Rurouni Saiyan guessed the last one right off the bat last time, LOL, but not to challenging if ya know what I mean. Now, onto the notes! ((Shoos Riku out of the room))  
  
Black-Rose72's note(for chapter 7): Yep it sucks that Sora can't remember anyone, but that's what happens when you have amnesia. Yes, I feel sorry for him too. I'm glad you're liking my story. Makes me so happy! Oh and while I'm thinking about it, please update on your story, the suspense is killing me. ((Passes out))  
  
Inuyasha's apprentice's note: The pitchfork is all yours! ((Grins)) I don't know Inuyasha's apprentice, is there something going on between Riku and Jetta? ((Smiles)) And yes, you are most right. Authors shouldn't put ourselves down, it's a real bummer, and it lowers our confidence. Which I seem to lack in that department... Oh well. nn I'm glad you liked the last chapter. ((Smiles)) Sora's been bragging about you glomping him for the entire week. ((Whispers)) Myself I think Riku's jealous. ((Laughs)) Thanks for the review!  
  
Rurouni Saiyan's note: I know I'm about to toot my own horn, but I do agree that the dictionary was a great idea... if only I got to use it. ((Mumbles)) That's okay, I know where mom hid it. ((Grins evilly)) I'm glad you are liking my story, and thanks for the 'barrowing to borrowing" thing. If it wasn't for you people spell checking my work I'd be a goner, LOL. Thanks!   
  
MagRowan's note: Hello new reviewer! It's nice of you to join me. Bows head I'm glad you're liking my story. I'm so happy that I got another person to check my spelling. ((Bounces around the room)) I have the most trouble with the 'sound the same but mean different things' words. I hate those! Stupid words. ((Mumbles)) Don't worry, I'm getting into more Sora action. I just have to work up to it, that's all. I'm glad you think my plot is good. Took me forever to get it the way I wanted it to be. I think it was a good three or four months... somewhere around that time. Yep it took me a while. ((Nods head)) Anyway, thanks for reviewing, and the spell checking!  
  
Author: Oh! Oh! Oh! Before I forget. Sora, Donald, and Goofy are going to a new world as well, so for a bonus cookie you can guess for them as well. ((Grins)) The world is a Disney one, it was in the last game, and it involves a legendary hero. Lets just see how many people can guess that one. ((Winks)) Hope to see ya in the next chapter.  
  
Sora: Bye reviewers. ((Smiles at Inuyasha's apprentice)) 


	11. Chapter 10

The Darkness Within  
Chapter 10: Dark Tournament

* * *

"Great," Neron sighed, "Another forest."  
  
"At least in this world we can be ourselves," Jetta said with a smile, "But I'm gonna miss that tail."  
  
"I thought you didn't like it?" Max asked.  
  
"That's cause you gave Riku a cute tail when mine was just a skinny little stick." Riku's eye twitched at the word, not liking cute being referred to him. Hansom, sure why not, but cute, hell no. Neron simply chuckled after seeing the face Riku was making causing him to glare at the blond for a moment, until his ears picked up a sound.  
  
"What's that noise?" Everyone fell silent as they looked around, listening for whatever it was that Riku heard.  
  
"...People," Max said, finally speaking up, "That way." In truth everyone already knew which direction it was coming from, since Jetta had already ran off to see what all the commotion was about. The boys grumbled as they ran after Jetta, hoping she wouldn't get them into anything during the time it would take them to catch up to her. Jetta hopped out from behind a bush only to run smack dab into a person's back, causing her to stumble back a bit.  
  
"Oh!" Jetta shouted in embarrassment as she rubbed her nose, "I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to run into..." Jetta's eyes went wide as the rest of her sentence turned into nothing but a jumble of odd unknown words. The person she had run into was no person at all. He, or it, was a tall monster with three eyes, green skin, four arms, and sharp long fangs, and the longer she mumbled at it the more it got impatient with her.  
  
"Got a staring problem wench?" The monster growled as he shoved her backwards and into Riku, who had just arrived.  
  
"Excuse me?" Jetta shouted as she got into the monster's face, as close as she could reach since it was so much taller than her, poking him in the chest with a hatful gleam in her eyes, "I don't like being referred to as a wench you ugly freak of nature, and if I knew what I was staring at then I wouldn't be looking at you to try and figure it out! Wait...are you even a he? Maybe I should call you an it." Riku and the others stood, slightly baffled and frightened, only able to watch as the monster's three eyes held a death glare on Jetta. Someone had to intervene before the girl got herself killed, and since Max seamed to frightened, and Neron probably didn't care, it was up to Riku.  
  
"I'm so sorry sir," Riku said as he pulled Jetta away, "She hasn't been feeling well lately."   
  
"Let me go Riku I'm not finished with that-" Jetta shouted before Riku covered her mouth so she wouldn't get herself in over her head.  
  
"Yeah little girl, go run along now with your puny human boy," The monster laughed, along with several other ugly things around him. Riku's aqua-blue eyes narrowed at the ugly beast, letting his grip loosen on Jetta's mouth, big mistake.  
  
"Puny," Jetta laughed, "The only thing puny around here is the butt ugly monster in front of me." Riku covered her mouth once again, but it was to late, it had already been said.  
  
"Look, the human girl think she can beat me," The monster laughed, along with all the others. Jetta managed once again to break free from Riku's grasp, after a short struggle.  
  
"I wasn't really talking about me. I was just backing up my friend, but I'm sure I can beat you as well," Jetta spat as Riku gave up and let her go with a heavy sigh.  
  
"This is going to be good," Neron chuckled as he nudged Max with his elbow and smiled.  
  
"Alright then you little harpy," The monster snarled, "Lets go!"  
  
"Wait!" A man shouted as he ran in between the two, "Do you both want to get disqualified before the tournament even starts?"  
  
"Tournament?" Jetta questioned under her breath. The monster simply growled at the man before he started to walk away.  
  
"You just wait you harpy!" The monster shouted, "We'll have out battle soon enough." He then walked off with a group of four other ugly monsters at his side.  
  
"You really shouldn't be picking fights like that," the man said before he turned around to look down at Jetta with stern green eyes.   
  
"...Uh... r-right..." Jetta stuttered as she stared into his green eyes, a light pink color crossing her cheeks, "I know I shouldn't have. It's just sometimes I can't control my temper." This sentence got several questioning and confused looks from the boys. Jetta wasn't acting normal, that's for sure.  
  
"It's not wise to pick fights with team leaders," The man scolded, "You should be glad I stopped the fight before it started. Who knows what could have happened to you? However, I don't blame you for getting angry at the beast. You had every right to fight him."  
  
"Well, thanks for stopping him, but I could have taken him no problem," Jetta said.  
  
"I'm sure you could have," The man said as he flipped his red hair behind his shoulder, making Jetta's face turn a darker pink, "But there's still the fact that you could have been disqualified."  
  
"About that..." Jetta paused, "What is this tournament thing you're talking about?"  
  
"You mean you don't know about it?" The man asked. Jetta shock her head. "Then what are you doing here?"  
  
"Well..." Jetta trailed off as she looked back at the boys for and answer, but they just stared at her with a blank expression, "We were camping out and genius Neron over there lost the map." Jetta pointed back at Neron with her thumb before she continued. "We were with some other kids, but we got separated. When we heard people talking we thought it might have been them, but boy were we ever wrong." Jetta laughed lightly as she scratched the back of her head.  
  
"So then you didn't come here for the tournament?" The man asked, slightly shocked.  
  
"Good going Kurama. Why don't you just explain everything to the little human girl," Another man walking up behind Kurama spat. Kurama sighed as he turned to the shorter man with wild, gravity defying, back hair. His red eyes glared up at Kurama as he crossed his arms over his chest in an annoyed manner.  
  
"I didn't know!"  
  
"Whatever," the shorter man spat.  
  
"Um, excuse me," Neron interrupted, gaining the two men's attention, "What's going on here?"  
  
"You might as well tell them Kurama." Kurama's green eyes glared at the shorter man before he turned to the four.  
  
"We're here to fight in the Dark Tournament, along with all these other demons around here." The four teens took the moment to glance around at all the ugly monsters now known as demons.  
  
"So that's why there are so many of those ugly things around," Max mumbled, "Is there some kind of big prize or something?"  
  
"Yes, but I'm not sure what that is yet."  
  
"Alright, pipe down ye ugly things!" A voice yelled over the crowed, silencing everyone, "Me ship is ready to set sail so ye best be getting on if ye want to get to the island!" The little short bearded man with the booming voice turned and started to head for the shoreline, letting the demons follow him to his ship.  
  
"Kurama! Hiei! You two coming or what?" A teen shouted as he waved them down.  
  
"Coming!" Kurama shouted back. Hiei didn't reply, he just humped, turned, and walked towards the teen, "I suggest you four go find your other camp members. This is no place for normal humans to go." Kurama started to walk away, but Jetta stopped him by grabbing hold of his wrist.  
  
"What if we want to join?" Both Max and Riku gave her a look of horror after this question. She was doing it again; she was dragging them into another thing, but oddly enough, Neron seemed a little interested to know.  
  
"I guess you could, but..." Kurama trailed off, "You have to have a team of five, and it looks like you only have four."  
  
"Are you serious?" Jetta questioned, the look of sadness in her eyes.  
  
"Well, that sucks," Neron stated, "I was actually looking forward to this tournament."  
  
"I'm sorry," Kurama said before he walked away, pulling Jetta's grip from his arm.  
  
"You actually wanted to go?" Riku asked, looking over at Neron.  
  
"Yeah, it sounded exciting," Neron said, "At least she wasn't dragging us into another baby sitting job again."  
  
"Would you please drop it Neron!" Jetta shouted, "If it'll make you shut up, I'm sorry I ever did that, okay." Neron could only smile at her.  
  
"Did you say you needed one more person?" The four teens jumped at the sound of a deep voice. They turned to find tall man with a young looking woman by his side walk out of the woods, his bright, almost glowing, blue eyes scanned over the four teens.  
  
"...Uh...yeah," Neron said, not knowing what to think about the stranger with wild blond hair.  
  
"How about we make a deal," the man said, "I need a team to fight on, and to make a team you need five people. If you let me join then we can all enter this tournament, and everyone's happy. How about it?"  
  
"Deal!" Jetta shouted as she ran up to him and shook his hand before anyone had time to consider his proposal. "Welcome to the team... um... what's your name?"  
  
"Cloud."  
  
"Right! Welcome to the team Cloud," Jetta said with a smile, "So are you his girlfriend or something?" Both Cloud and the woman blushed.  
  
"Just... friends," the woman said as her cheeks turned a little darker shade of red, glancing at the man with her green eyes, "I'm Aerith."  
  
"It's nice to meet you two, don't get me wrong, but we need to go catch that ship before it leaves," Neron said as he started to walk off, "I have a feeling that that man wouldn't wait on us if we asked him to."  
  
"I'm so exited!" Jetta exclaimed as she ran past Neron, "Last one there's a rotten egg!"  
  
"No far! You got a head start!" Neron shouted before he chased her down, determined to beat her.

* * *

"I can't believe we missed the boat," Jetta huffed for around the third time, "This is all your fault!" The girl then shoved Neron's shoulder, who was sitting next to her at the time, and let out a heavy sigh.  
  
"Don't even start blaming me."  
  
"To late, I already did."  
  
"Can we go now?" Riku asked like a little impatient child as he paced the wooden dock they were seated on.  
  
"No!" Both Neron and Jetta yelled simultaneously.  
  
"But we've been waiting for another boat to come by since forever," Riku whined, knowing he was exaggerating quite a lot, "There's not going to be another one. We missed our chance, lets just go."  
  
"No!" They both yelled again.  
  
"Oh no!" A woman cried, "We miss the boat?" Everyone turned to look back at the strange woman with blue hair.   
  
"By thirty minutes I'm afraid," Aerith answered.  
  
"Well that just stinks," The woman said as she pouted.  
  
"Now how are we going to get there?" the girl next to her with a small voice asked, "I really wanted to see Kazuma fight."  
  
"Don't worry Yukina, your not missing much," An older woman with long brown hair spat.  
  
"Oh come now Shizuru, he's no that bad," The blue haired girl said as she lightly laughed.  
  
"I hope you have another way there Botan," another girl said as she glanced over at Botan with angry brown eyes. She impatiently taped her foot as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm going to kill Yusuke once we get there for not telling me about this. The stupid arrogant jerk..." The girl continued to mumble curses at the boy, and all Botan could do was smile weakly at her.  
  
"Don't worry Keiko, I have another way," Botan said, hoping to cool the girl down, "I'm guessing you guys missed the boat as well?"  
  
"Yeah, no thanks to Neron," Jetta said, receiving a hateful glare from the boy.  
  
"Then you can come with us," Botan said, "I know a port really close by that'll let us rent a boat-"  
  
"Oh wow Botan! You're the greatest!" Jetta shouted as she ran up to the blue hair woman she didn't even know and wrapped her arms around her in a big hug. "Your name is Botan, isn't it?" Botan lightly laughed at the girl.  
  
"Last time I checked it was," She smiled, "And you are quite welcome."

* * *

By the time they had reached the strange island the sun was fixing set onto the wide-open ocean. Everyone else had already entered the extravagant hotel on the island for the competitors, except for Riku that is. He told the others he felt a little sea sick from the ride, though only he knew that was just one big lie. Truthfully he wanted to watch the sun set on the ocean, but didn't tell because he thought the others might think he was a little strange. He knew he shouldn't care about what they thought, but still it bothered him. If only it was Sora and Kairi, then they could be watching it with him like they used to.  
  
As he watched the sun's golden light touch the water, making it glisten in it's rays, a depressed look crossed his face as memories of good times flooded his mind. It had been so long since he had last seen a sun set on the ocean. The last time was probably the night the heartless attacked Destiny Island, and even then he didn't get to see it with his friends. Riku sighed as he hopped of the rock he was perched on, deciding not to watch the rest of the sunset since it brought back to many memories.  
  
He walked into the lobby of the hotel to find Jetta and Neron yelling at each other, big surprise there. Cloud stood off to the side with an agitated look in his eyes, with Aerith at his side. Though the woman faintly smile, Riku could tell she was a little on the annoyed side as well. Riku couldn't blame them; after all, even he hated it when they yelled like this. The fact that they were gaining attention from rich and wealthy people in the lobby didn't help suppress Riku's embarrassment from have to walk up to them.  
  
"What are you two yelling about now?" Riku interrupted as he glared at the two.  
  
"We can't get a room until we think of a team name," Neron growled, "Something about signing a guest list."  
  
"So you're debating over a name?" Riku asked with an aggravated hint in his voice.  
  
"More or less," Jetta answered, "It's more about how stupid Neron's ideas for a name are."  
  
"I don't see you coming up with anything!" Jetta turned her attention to the blond and glared daggers at him.  
  
"What names do you have so far?" Riku asked.  
  
"Team Keyblade, the heartless fighter team, and the ever so popular Team Neron," Jetta sighed, "I don't know who put that stupid idea in your think skull that you're the leader, but whoever it was needs help, and a lot of it."  
  
"Nobody told me. I just think that because I'm the Keyblade Master, the one you need the most, that it should make me the leader," Neron said proudly.  
  
"Whatever," Jetta snorted.  
  
"Unlike you, who happens to be completely useless," Neron said, adding onto his 'why I'm the leader' statement.  
  
"Wanna run that by me again you jerk!"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. Was I talking to fast for you to understand?" Neron asked.  
  
"You ass!" Jetta yelled before she pounced on him. Riku and Max, managed to pull her away, but not before she got a few good hits in.  
  
"Look, can we just do something without having to shout at each other, just once," Riku cried out, mostly from anger.  
  
"How about a last name basis for the team name?" Max suggested, almost afraid to say anything seeing as the two looked like they could kill at the moment.  
  
"As long as it's not Neron's," Jetta muttered.  
  
"I'll agree, if it has nothing to do with Jetta." Riku sighed before he looked over at Max.  
  
"I'd rather not use my last name," Max answered before Riku even had a chance to ask him what his last name was.  
  
"What about you Cloud?"   
  
"Strife."  
  
"Team Strife..." Riku repeated softly.  
  
"It has a nice ring to it," Jetta said, "I like it."  
  
"Me too," Max said.  
  
"I guess it's okay," Neron mumbled.  
  
"Your just mad cause it has nothing to do with you," Jetta growled.  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"Are too!" Riku rolled his eyes at the two before he started to walk off.  
  
"I guess this means we are now officially Team Strife?" Max asked.  
  
"I guess so." Aerith smiled as she looked up at Cloud, her green eye glistening at him. He couldn't help but faintly smile back at the woman as he uncrossed his arms and started to walk off with Riku and Max to sign in, leaving Jetta and Neron scowling at one another.

* * *

"Leon, before we go," Donald said as he turned to the man, "Is Cid here?"  
  
"Yeah, he's here."  
  
"Is he still working with Gummi ships?"  
  
"Of course," Yuffie stated.  
  
"Good, I though we could buy a few Gummi ship parts before we left," Donald said, "Do you think you could direct us to him?"  
  
"He works in the little accessory shop down in the town square."  
  
"You can't miss it," Yuffie added with a smile.  
  
"Thanks," Donald quaked before he started off down the hall with Goofy and Sora following. Sora paused, as if he realizing something, and turned to face Leon and Yuffie.  
  
"Are you two not coming?" He asked.  
  
"We have to stay here and keep the heartless at bay."  
  
"Oh, okay then," Sora said, "Thanks for the help!" Sora smiled at the two before he ran to catch up with Donald and Goofy.  
  
"Do you think we should have told him about Riku?" Yuffie asked, giving Leon a worried look.  
  
"No," Leon said as he walked back into the hotel room, "I don't want him around Sora so soon. It might not be safe."  
  
"But they're best friends. Don't you think Sora should know that he's okay, even if he can't remember him?"  
  
"We'll tell him later. For now I think we should make sure Riku's back to his old self," Leon said as he turned to Yuffie, "Sora's in a very vulnerable state right now. If Riku is still involved with dark powers he might try and take the Keyblade from Sora again. After all, it was his, and he might still want it."  
  
"True," Yuffie sighed, "I guess we can wait to tell him then."  
  
"I just hope they don't run into each other any time soon."

* * *

"How can I help-..." Cid smiled at the three as he folded up his newspaper, "Well, If it ain't my three favorite customers. Long time no see."  
  
"Hello Cid," Goofy greeted.  
  
"Let's talk Gummi ship parts Cid," Donald said as he walked up to the counter, getting strait to the point.  
  
"Hey Sora!" Cid greeted ignoring the duck momentarily, "Man... I almost didn't recognize ya. How have you been holdin' out? After those damn heartless again?" Sora looked up at the man with a blank stare before he realized he had been asked a question.   
  
"I'm fine Gramps." This comment made Cid's eye twitch as he chewed on the toothpick in his mouth.  
  
"Very funny Sora," Cid grumbled, "Now cut that out, you know I don't like to be called that."  
  
"Oh! Sorry about that... Cid, was it?"  
  
" ... " Cid gave him a questioning look at the serious face Sora was giving him, "Your serious, aren't you?"  
  
"... Why wouldn't I be?" This made Cid raise an eyebrow at the boy.  
  
"He lost his memory," Goofy informed.  
  
"You did?" Sora gave Cid a small head nod, "Well why didn't you tell me that in the first place? Geez! Kids these days." Donald growled as he tapped his foot impatiently.  
  
"So how'd you end up with amnesia?" Cid asked, "Did the heartless knock you in the head one to many times?"  
  
"I don't know," Sora sighed.  
  
"Well, doesn't that-" Cid stopped when Donald cleared his throat rather roughly for attention.  
  
"Can we get down to business now?" Donald asked, "You two can chat later."  
  
"Sure… What do you need?"

* * *

"Oh wow!" Sora shouted excitedly with his face pressed to the glass of the Gummi ship window, "How cool! What's that world, Donald?"  
  
"Gah! Sora! Stay in your seat until we've landed!" Donald screeched as he tried to pull Sora away from the window, "Your in my way! I can't see!"  
  
"But-"  
  
"Move!"  
  
"Goofy trade seats with me, just for the landing," Sora begged, "The back is so boring, and I can't see the world."  
  
"Sure Sora," Goofy said with a smile, letting the boy have the passenger seat.  
  
"Thanks Goofy!" Sora said, "So what's the name of this world Donald? You never answered me."  
  
"It's Athens, Greece, but the world is basically centered around the Olympus Coliseum," Donald quaked, "I'm guessing you don't remember it."  
  
"So I've been here before?" Sora asked.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Great," Sora sighed as he slumped down in his seat.  
  
"What's wrong Sora," Goofy asked, giving the boy a worried look.  
  
"This is just going to be another world for me to disappoint more people that I know but don't remember," Sora pouted, "I wish I could remember people when I see them, it'd make things a lot easier."  
  
"Nothing's easy Sora, get used to it."   
  
"Thanks Donald, just the kind of boost I needed to rebuild my confidence." Sora spat as he glared over at his duck friend.  
  
"Any time Sora," Donald said with a smile before he landed the Gummi ship. Once there Sora was, surprisingly, the last one out, and the slowest one to make it to the coliseum's entrance. Goofy put a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder as he gave him a small smile.  
  
"It'll be alright Sora," Goofy told him, "They'll understand."  
  
"Thanks Goofy," Sora said before he pushed open the large doors only to be met by a huge open area with two very enormous statues of men gladiators clashing swords.  
  
"...Wow!" Sora gasped as he looked on at it all.  
  
"I'm sorry but the tournament is over for this year, you're going to have to leave," A voice said from behind. Sora turned to find and odd-looking goat man taking down a large tapestry hanging on the stone wall. The goat man was currently being held up by a muscular man standing on a winged, white horse, that seemed to snort at Sora and the others. The man looked over his shoulder to see who had entered and was shocked to see Sora.  
  
"Sora!" The man shouted as he dropped the goat man and hopped off of the horse, "It's great to see you again." He instantly ran up to the boy and grabbed him in a headlock, giving him a fierce nougie messing up his, already, wild hair.  
  
"Hey!" Sora shouted, stifling a laugh or two at this grown man's behavior towards him as he desperately tried to get out of the headlock, but was failing miserably. The man was just too strong for him. The man smiled down at him as he released the boy causing him to fall flat on his back.  
  
"So how's the little junior hero doing?" The man asked as he lightly punched Sora on the shoulder once he had stood up, "Sorry you missed the tournament. I would have loved to fight you again."  
  
"I could be better," Sora answered as he rubbed his shoulder absently. The man looked down at him with his blue eyes and frowned a bit.  
  
"What's wrong Sora?"  
  
"Well, for starters I kinda lost my memory," Sora said as he looked up at the man with sad eyes.  
  
"... You... Whoa! Really?" Sora simply gave the man a head nod.  
  
"Herc!" The goat man yelled after picking himself up from the ground, "I have two words for you: extra hard combat training!" Hercules laughed with a nervous hint to his voice as he scratched the back of his head.  
  
"Sorry Phil," Hercules apologized, "I didn't mean to, honest."  
  
"Yeah whatever. Just get your hero butt back over here and help," Phil mumbled as he grabbed Hercules by his blue cape and started to pull him away. Phil glanced over at Sora, glared, and mumbled a "Hey kid." It wasn't until he got back to the white horse with wings that he realized it was Sora.  
  
"Kid!" Phil shouted in realization before he ran back over to Sora, "Kid, why weren't you here for the tournament? We had quite a show, and a ton of new challengers came. One really wiped the floor with all the other competitors, until he got to Herc here. He did put up a pretty tough battle though, right Herc?"  
  
"Yeah," Hercules answered, "Disappeared just as fast as he came too. Quite a mysterious man if I do say so myself."  
  
"Hey kid? I've got a few new practice arena's for ya," Phil said with a smile, "How about it? Let's see how good you've gotten in the past year."  
  
"Okay, sure," Sora said with a smile.  
  
"That's my junior hero, always willing to take on new challenges," Phil grind as he started to escort Sora to the arena, "Hey Herc! While I'm gone, finish taking down those tapestries, would ya?"  
  
"But-"  
  
"That's my hero, always willing to go the distance," Phil shouted proudly before he entered through a pair of blue doors with Sora.  
  
"Yeah... distance..." Hercules mumbled as he patted his white horse on the head, receiving a snort from the winged steed.

* * *

"I'm very disappointed in you," The lord of the under world, Hades, spat as he stared down the man in front of him, "You were supposed to take out Hercules."  
  
"I'm only human," The man spat as he pushed his sunglasses over his eyes, not like he needed them in the dark underworld, "What more do you want from me?"  
  
"I want you to kill Hercules!" Hades yelled, the blue flame on his head rising and turning red, "Is that to much to ask for?"  
  
"No, it's just I don't see the point in you using me to kill this Hercules guy. I mean, after all, you are a God."  
  
"You're forgetting the contract-"  
  
"To hell with your contract!" The man yelled as he turned to glare at the lord of the underworld, but he just laughed at him.  
  
"It's a little late for that don't you think?" Hades asked as he smirked at the man, watching him leave, "And where do you think you're going?"  
  
"Anywhere but here."  
  
"And how do you plan on going anywhere with the contact still enforced?" The man stopped, "You are to stay here in the underworld unless I let you leave."  
  
"Damn contract," the man mumbled as he clinched and unclenched his fists, turning to face Hades.  
  
"To get your heart, you must first bring me back Hercules's heart. Then you will be free to leave."  
  
"I'll get you the man's heart, as long as I get mine," The man grumbled before he started to leave again.  
  
"Oh! One more thing, Auron!" Hades called out, "Make it painful would you, and remember, I don't like quick deaths."  
  
"Whatever," Auron mumbled before he left the room.  
  
"He better get him this time," Hades mumbled, "Pain! Panic!"  
  
"Y-yes my lord!" The small mahogany colored monster, known as Pain, answered, followed by an even smaller blue monster, known as Panic, that fidgeted and adverted his eyes in many different directions.  
  
"I think our little friend may need some help," Hades said as he sat down in a large chair, "See to it that he gets that help."  
  
"Who sh-should we get s-sir?" Panic asked, fidgeting a bit with his claws.  
  
"Something big, I don't care," Hades said, "Now get going!"  
  
"Sir yes sir!" Both shouted before they scurried off.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the TV show Yu Yu Hakusho. Nope, I sure don't. I also don't own Cloud, Aerith, Cid, Leon, and Yuffie (Because I forgot to disclaim those two the first time they came in). I don't own the fancy hotel, the island, the little ugly ship captain guy, the ugly demons, the gorgeous demons, ((Cough)) Kurama! ((Cough)) or anything else for that matter. Everything that has to do with Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to FUNimation or the creator Yoshihiro Togashi (Choose whichever you want to go by). I also don't own Hercules, Phil, the coliseum, Hades, Auron, or anything else in that world. It all belongs to Disney. None of it is mine. Nope, nada, zilch.   
  
Author: Hi everyone! Man, is it just me or is it so great that it's the summer vacation? I have a whole lot more time for sleeping and watching boring TV shows, even the little kiddy shows that, for some on reason, I end up stopping at while surfing the channels. o.O ((Sighs contently)) Yeah it's great. Although, I'm a little worried... or at least I think I'm worried. Riku's been missing ever since I sent him out in the hall when I last read you guys your notes. Part of me wants to jump for joy while the other part is worried that he's planning something. ((Starts to panic)) Sora, you're his friend, what do you think he's doing?  
  
Sora: Maybe he gave up.  
  
Author: I really don't think so Sora.  
  
Sora: Did you check the bathrooms?  
  
Author: Yes.  
  
Sora: Then I have no clue.  
  
Author: Gee, thanks for all the help Sora. ((Mumbles))  
  
Sora: No problem. ((Smiles at Demon))  
  
Author: To more better and important news, I have everyone's cookies for guessing these two worlds in the last chapter. Go me! Inuyasha's apprentice gets one cookie for guessing Sora's world. MagRowan gets one cookie for Sora's world. Rurouni Saiyan gets one cookie for Riku and the other's world. Zanisha gets one cookie for Sora's world, and last, but not least, animefreak321654 gets a cookie for Sora's world. Yay! Everyone got a cookie this time! ((Grins as she hands out the cookies)) Now I can start the notes!  
  
Zanisha's note: Thanks for the review! Sorry you didn't get where Riku was going. You were so close. ((Pouts)) But that's okay, you did good. ((Grins)) I'm glad you're liking my story and thanks again for reviewing.  
  
Rurouni Saiyan's note: You were right; it's Yu Yu Hakusho. I love this show too. It's great! I went and read your cross over, though I'm sure you already know that since I reviewed ya. ((Grins)) For any other reviewers of mine who like Yu Yu Hakusho I suggest going and reading Rurouni Saiyan's story "Kingdom Hearts: The Untold Story", it's great! Anyway, thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you like this so far. ((Grins))  
  
MagRowan's note: I'm super glad you're liking my story. ((Grins)) It makes me so happy. Thanks a ton for the spell checking, you catch so many of my mistakes, it's great! Now all I need to do is pound it into my head so I wont forget. ((Grins)) Renegade Keyblade Group…LOL, that's so funny. I love it! I don't blame you for guessing Halloween Town, I love Jack Skeleton, he's the coolest. That's my favorite world besides Neverland, cause you get to fly. Anyways, thanks for the review!   
  
Inuyasha's apprentice's note: I'm glad you liked Prince John. ((Smiles)) I actually planed on making a profile like thing for some of the heartless in later chapters. ((Laughs)) What a coincidence? Yes, I decided to let Sora remember something, and why not the Keyblade since he needs it the most. ((Grins)) Once again you have gotten Sora talking about you glomping him, LOL. That Sora. ((Sighs)) Anyway, thanks for the review!  
  
animefreak321654's note: Thank you for your support in boosting my confidence for finding my precious hard-back dictionary. ((Mumbles)) Mom hid it somewhere else this time so I'm having to hunt high and low for that thing. I still owe Riku a few hits with it. ((Grins)) As always, thanks for the review!  
  
Sora: ((Grins)) I got glomped again.  
  
Author: Yes, Sora. I know. ((Sighs)) Good thing Riku isn't here of he'd be getting jealous about now. ((Laughs but stops short)) I really need to find him. ((Walks out of the room mumbling))  
  
Sora: Okay...well... I guess that's it. I hope to see you guys later! ((Waves)) Have a nice day! ((Grins at Inuyasha's apprentice before he follows Demon out of the room))


	12. Chapter 11

The Darkness Within  
Chapter 11: Ready. Set. Battle!

* * *

"I'm amazed at you kid!" Phil shouted from the stands, "You've gotten a lot better, that's for sure."  
  
"Thanks Phil!" Sora shouted back with a smile, but just as soon as he turned his back to the man a confused expression crossed his features. He didn't understand how he knew all of those move, or how they flowed out of him like it was natural. Was he that good before he lost his memory? Maybe having the Keyblade sparked something inside of him.  
  
"Come on Kid, lets go see if Herc is done," Phil called out as he hopped down the stands. Sora started to follow the man out but Donald grabbed his wrist, stopping him.  
  
"Are you okay, Sora?"  
  
"I'm just a little confused," Sora admitted, "I didn't know I could do all of that. I mean, heck, I didn't even know I was flexible enough to do a back flip, and yet I landed one perfectly." Both the duck and the dog smiled at him.  
  
"You'll get used to it Sora," Donald quaked before he left.  
  
"Goofy?" Sora asked as he looked over at his friend, "Could I do all this before I lost my memory?"  
  
"Yep, that and more," Goofy answered, "Just wait until you start doing you magic again."  
  
"Magic? I know magic?" Sora asked as he followed Goofy out of the arena. Goofy smiled back at Sora and gave him a nod of his head along with an "ahuck".  
  
"What kind of magic?" Sora asked out of curiosity, "Could I pull rabbits out of a hat." Goofy only laughed at him.  
  
"No Sora," Goofy chuckled, "Fightin' magic."  
  
"What's fighting magic like?"  
  
"Fireballs, small blizzards, lighting... those kinds of things."  
  
"Really?" Sora asked, now excited that he could shoot fireballs around.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Can you show me?"  
  
"Donald does the magic stuff, not me. Sorry Sora."  
  
"What in Zeus's name is going on?" Phil cried. Sora and Goofy gave each other a questioning glance before they bolted for the lobby. When they didn't find Phil there they ran the coliseum gates.  
  
"Herc! What are you doing?" Phil shouted as he watched his hero and a man battle, breaking anything in their path.  
  
"Don't look at me," Hercules spat as he blocked the man's kantana with his sword, "He just started attacking me."  
  
"Who is that?" Sora asked absently as he stared in awe at the battle.  
  
"That's the man that made it to the finals," Phil stated, "He's the one who almost beat Herc."  
  
"What are you doing here?" Hercules asked as he held off the man's attack.  
  
"I'm here for your heart."  
  
"My what?" Hercules asked in shock as he lost his footing and fell to the ground. Right when the man was about to stab Hercules in the chest, Sora's Keyblade came flying out at the two. The man cursed as his large kantana was sent flying out of his hands, while the Keyblade returned to Sora's hands.  
  
"This fight doesn't involve you brat!" the man growled as he glared at Sora from behind his sunglasses, "Get out of here before I have to take you down as well!"  
  
"I'm not leaving!" Sora shouted as he walked down into the open area.  
  
"Damn it kid! Go!" He yelled, "I don't want to hurt you! I'm only here for the Hero."  
  
"Not if I have anything to do with it," Sora growled as he stepped forward. Just as Sora took that step the ground began to rumble.  
  
"What was that?" Donald asked, only for the ground to rumble again.  
  
"Something's coming," Hercules breathed as he stood, "Something big."  
  
"Damn, Hades," the man cursed as he backed up to his fallen kantana.  
  
"Hades?" Hercules growled just before an enormous dragon like head rose above the stone walls.   
  
Its yellow eyes focused on the hero as it began to climb over the wall. It landed shortly afterwards with a ground shaking thud, knocking down Goofy, Donald, and Phil easily. The monster's mouth opened to revile many sharp long jagged teeth as it hissed angrily at the group. A long fork like tongue seemed to dart out of its mouth as it sniffed the air like a snake would.  
  
"It's a Hydra!" Phil shouted as he backed up to the blue doors of the lobby.

* * *

"Okay, we're now ready for the last two teams of the day to come out to the arena," Koto, the announcer fox girl, shouted over the loud speakers, "I need Team Kuroi and Team Strife to come to the arena immediately."  
  
"That's us! That's us!" Jetta shouted as she grabbed the first person she could get her hands on, which happened to be poor Neron, and drug him all the way down the stands.  
  
"Jetta!" Riku shouted as he chased after her, followed quickly by Max. Bringing up the rear was the less enthusiastic Cloud as he descended the stands at his own pace.  
  
"I'm rooting for you Cloud!" Aerith called out from her seat in the stands. Cloud glanced back over his shoulder and gave the woman a small smile before he continued down the steps.  
  
"Good luck!" Botan shouted.  
  
"Okay, as our two teams make their way to the arena, keep in mind that the leaders have to choose how the rounds are going to go," Koto explained, "You my go one on one, two on two, or if you just don't want to wait you can have the whole team fight at once. It doesn't matter to me."  
  
"Hey!" Jetta shouted as she grabbed Neron by the back of his jacket, "Where do you think you're going?"  
  
"To talk with the leader," Neron growled, "Now let me go!"  
  
"I thought we went over this yesterday," Jetta mumbled, "You're not the leader!"  
  
"Well, neither are you so let me go!"  
  
"Maybe I'm just having a stupid thought here, but since our team name is Cloud's last name shouldn't he be the leader," Max suggested.  
  
"Sounds good to me," Riku stated.  
  
"Same here," Jetta agreed.  
  
"But..." Neron started to complain, but decided it wasn't worth it, "...Okay."  
  
"Come on! I don't have all day!" The leader of Team Kuroi shouted, growing impatient with them. Cloud shot a hateful glare at the man before he effortlessly hopped onto the arena.  
  
"How about a two on two battle?" Cloud asked, getting strait to the point, "Should there be a tie the last round, a one on one battle, can decide the winners."  
  
"Sounds good to me, but on one condition," The man said as he eyed Cloud with his red eyes, "The final battle will be between us."  
  
"Fare enough," Cloud said before both leaders turned and walked back to their respectable sides.  
  
"Okay folks! The leaders have decided for it to be a two on two battle with the last round being a battle between the leaders!" Koto announced, "Now, lets get this battle started!"  
  
"So who's going first?" Max asked, glancing around at the others.  
  
"I wanna go first," Jetta proclaimed as she climbed up onto the arena.  
  
"Count me out then," Neron said before he waved them away and took a seat in the grass next to Cloud.  
  
"I'll go," Riku muttered as he hopped up onto the arena.  
  
Both Jetta and Riku watched as their competitors jumped up onto the arena. One was a strange looking woman with bright pink hair and deep purple eyes. She wore heavy eye shadow and dressed in light looking black armor. Following her was a man with long black hair, red tipped bangs, and with his light blue eyes he held a disgusted look at the two. Bat like wings stuck out on top of his head, as two skinny lizard like tail lashed around behind him.  
  
"Fighting for Team Strife we have Riku and Jetta," Koto shouted, "While fighting for Team Kuroi we have Zilla and Kado. Remember that if you are knocked out of the arena you have ten seconds to get back in before you are disqualified from the battle. Now, let the battle begin!"  
  
"I call the red-head," Zilla clamed, only receiving a humph from the man before he charged at Riku.  
  
Jetta immediately jumped out of his way while Riku quickly unsheathed his sword, charging at Kado as well. The two met seconds later with Riku swinging his sword rapidly at the strange man. Riku growled as each and every one of his attacks missed; no matter how fast he swung or what direction he attacked from. He got even more steamed as Kado smiled at him, apparently amused at his attempts at attacking him. Kado eventually grew tiered of this and grabbed the sword by the blade with his middle and index fingers.  
  
"You'll have to be quicker than that, boy," Kado spat, smirking at Riku's horror stricken face before he snatched the weapon out of his grasp.   
  
In the blink of an eye Kado lashed out with the sword, startling Riku. He backed away from the smirking man and raised a hand up to his check. Through his black glove he could feel the moist touch of his blood seeping through the fabric. His aqua-blue eyes narrowed at the man as he positioned himself in a fighting stance with his fists balled up and ready to strike.  
  
"You amuse me, boy," Kado chuckled before he charged at Riku once again.  
  
Zilla smiled wickedly at Jetta as the two swapped punches, matching blow for blow. Each punch the two clashed with Jetta would winch in pain from hitting the metal gloves that incased her hands. Though Zilla didn't show it, she was in as much pain as Jetta was. The metal glove did serve for well protection for her knuckles, but they were perfect conductors for Jetta's fiery punches. Each hit that clashed would cause Zilla's hands to burn from the metal. Zilla's smile widened when she found an opening, hitting Jetta square in the gut. Jetta gasped from the sudden pain as she was sent fly through the air a couple of feet before she skidded to a stop on the concrete arena.  
  
The woman charged at Jetta at a fast speed, jumping high into the air above Jetta to come slamming down on her moments later. Jetta clenched her teeth as she ignored the pain and rolled out of the way before the heels to Zilla's boots came slamming into her chest. Jetta stared in amazement at the hole Zilla had made in the arena; glad she was able to dodge such an attack. A serious look crossed Jetta's face before she sprang back into action, propping herself up on her hands as she swung out with her legs, kicking Zilla in the back of her knees. Zilla instantly went crashing to the ground, banging her head against the arena floor with a painful sounding thud.  
  
"What a brutal attack!" Koto commented, "I could hear Zilla's skull coming in contact with the ground all the way over here, and what a lovely sound it made." Zilla growled as her purple eyes shot open, glaring at Jetta. The woman hissed silently when she realized Jetta was trying to interfere with her team mate's battle, and she wasn't about to let her do that.   
  
"Your battle is with me!" Zilla shouted as she flipped up from the ground and kicked Jetta's hand, sending the small fireball flying off into the crowd. Jetta immediately pointed her other hand at the woman and fired off several more, but she dodged them all.  
  
Riku grunted in pain as his sword sliced his skin yet again, this time on the back of his hand, tarring his glove. Kado continued to grin at Riku as he swung the sword around with ease, nicking Riku on each arm, but still Riku continued to advance on the man. Finally, Riku managed to turn the tables on Kado. While dodging a strait on thrust, aimed for his chest, he did a back handspring, avoiding the attack while kicking his sword out of the man's hands. Once landing back on his feet he took a few steps back to catch his falling sword. Now that his weapon was once again in his possession he charged at Kado, catching him off guard and thrusting the blade into his right shoulder.  
  
"Oh, It's great being down here with all the action," Koto announced with a smile, "For those of you up high in the stands you really missed a beautiful spray of blood from that attack."  
  
Kado's surprised expression turned back into a sinister smile as he backed up from the teen, pulling the blade out of his shoulder on his own. Riku sneered at the man as he started another assault, but still he avoided them all like before. Taking a different approach, Riku jumped up in the air, planning to strike from above. He wasn't surprised when he easily stepped out of the way, letting Riku land with his sword penetrating the concrete area. In one quick motion Riku propelled himself off the handle, slamming his feet in the man's chest. Kado grunted as the air got knocked out of his lungs, but still he smiled.  
  
"You have many surprises, boy," Kado commented as he grabbed onto Riku ankles, "But so do I."   
  
Riku's eyes widened as he started to swing him around in the air like a rag doll, but, to his surprise, Kado never actually let him hit the ground fully. Instead, he got Riku close enough to where his arm or his shoulder would scrap the ground, causing a layer or two of skin to rip off of his body. The man was merely toying with Riku. Once Kado was through with his fun he tossed Riku out of the arena, causing him to land roughly in the grass. Kado smiled as he pulled the sword from the concrete and hurled it at him. Riku gasped when the blade of his sword pierced the ground only centimeters from his head.  
  
"Riku has been thrown out of the ring folks," Koto announced, "He now has ten seconds to get back in. One!"  
  
Jetta and Zilla were once again swapping punches, this time more fierce then the last. Both even started to use their feet, or any other body part that was available; Jetta managing to get in a few hits in this way. Suddenly, Jetta was hit in her side, causing her guard to fall as she stumbled to catch her balance. Zilla took this chance to kick her in the stomach and face a few times before she kneed her in the gut. Jetta hit the ground with a thump and held her stomach in pain as she coughed a few times to catch her breath.  
  
"Damn it Kado, this is my battle!" Zilla hissed as she shoved the man away.  
  
"But my challenger is out of the arena," Kado whined.  
  
"W-what?" Jetta muttered as she looked around the arena, and sure enough Riku wasn't there.  
  
"Five! Six!" Koto counted as she watched Riku lift himself from the ground, taking his sword with him. "Seven! Eight! Nine! Oh and with one second to spar Riku is back in the game."  
  
"Just let me handle the girl, okay!" Zilla shouted before she turned her gaze back to Jetta, who was just now getting up from the ground. Just as Zilla was about to kick Jetta again, Riku came running in slashing through Zilla's black armor. Zilla let out a quick shout from the pain as blood started to drip from the punctured armor.  
  
"You little brat!" She hissed just before a ball of fire came soaring at the open gash. Zilla screamed as the fire entered her armor and burned her newly open wound.  
  
Kado ran back into the battle, punching Riku a few times in the face before he spun around, letting his two tails grab onto Riku's ankles. Riku let out a shout from surprise as his feet were pulled out from under him. After Riku feel to the ground, Kado hoisted him up in the air and slammed him to the ground again. Just as he was lifting Riku up another time, one of Jetta's fireballs came whizzing through the air, blasting through Kado's two tails. Riku dropped to the ground on his hands and knees as Kado screamed in pain from the loss of both his tail's tips.  
  
"Jetta look out!" Riku shouted as he glanced over at his teammate.  
  
Jetta screamed as Zilla's metal fist collided with her jaw, knocking her to the ground instantly. Riku looked back at Kado, making sure he wasn't about to attack him, but he was gone. Jetta's screaming brought his attention back over to her fight, only to find the missing Kado with his foot stepping on her head. A growl escaped Riku's lips as he bolted up from the ground and charged at the man, cutting a deep gash in the back of his leg. Kado's evil smile disappeared as he turned his gaze at the boy. Zilla came running in about that time, punching Riku in the face. He stumbled a bit but came back and returned the hit.  
  
"It looks like this battle has turned into a battle royal, rather than just two separate battles," Koto announced, "This is great! Just look at the carnage!"  
  
Now Riku was being pummeled from both team members, each getting a hit in one after another. He managed to stand his ground for a second or two, but once his sword was knocked out of his hands he was caught off guard and never managed to regain his defense since. Jetta rose from the ground and ran over to the group, shooting off fireballs at Kado, while placing her other fire lit hand on Zilla's armor. Both backed away from Riku and glared at the girl. Kado picked up Riku's fallen sword and charged at her, cutting several deep gashes in her arms, since she wasn't quick enough to dodge him. As Jetta backed away from the man with his on coming attacks, she bumped into a smirking Zilla.  
  
"You're a little nuisance. Did you know that?" Zilla smiled wickedly at the girl as she grabbed hold of her upper arms, "The games stop here." Jetta struggled to get out of the menacing woman's grasp, but she couldn't escape.  
  
Zilla laughed as she started to spin around, picking up speed with every step. Riku could only watch as Zilla jumped up, high in the air, still spinning but now at and angle as she let go of Jetta. Jetta screamed as she was tossed high up into the blue sky. The woman landed as she smiled evilly at Riku.  
  
"...Jetta," Neron muttered as he stood from the ground and stared at the sky with a hopeless expression on his face.  
  
"Oh man!" Koto shouted as she looked up at the sky, "In a twist of events Jetta has been hurled into the sky above, and folks what goes up must come down. It looks like there's no hope for Jetta, unless she knows how to fly."  
  
"...No... Jetta..." Riku whispered as he sat back on his knees, eyes locked on the sky, "She'll make it, I know she will."  
  
"Positive thinking isn't going to help the girl land safely," Zilla commented as she and Kado towered over him.  
  
"It's not going to help the world of pain we're about to put you in either," Kado added with a sinister smirk on his face, "Humans don't belong in the dark tournament, and we're about to show you why."  
  
"I'd like to see you try!" Riku shouted as he pounced at the two, pure rage gleaming in his eyes.

* * *

"Damn Hades," the man growled as he picked his kantana up from the ground, "I'll show him I don't need his help." Immediately the man switched his attack from Hercules to the Hydra. He griped the handle of his kantana with both hands as he swung fiercely at the beast. The Hydra's head went flying to the ground; landing with a thump shortly after it's body had dropped, lifeless, to the ground.  
  
"Well..." Sora started as he stared in amazement, "That ended rather fast."  
  
"Oh Zeus save us," Phil grumbled as he slapped his forehead, "Are you nuts?"  
  
"Excuse me?" The man asked rather harsh as he turned to face the goat man.  
  
"I'm guessing you've never faced a Hydra before?" Hercules asked.  
  
"No, dose it really matter?"  
  
"Yes, it matters!" Phil shouted, "You never cut off a Hydra's head. Never!"  
  
"Why?" Sora asked, "It looks dead to me."  
  
"Not anymore!" Donald shouted as he pointed at the monster's body rising from the ground. Sora gasped as he backed away and watched as it's severed neck started to bubble. After a moment of this odd behavior three, not one, heads sprang out form the one neck, each screeching horribly at the man.  
  
"Okay," Sora mutter in horror as he backed away even further, "So this Hydra isn't that easy to beat."  
  
"Let me offer some advice," Phil said, "No more head slicing! For one head you cut you get three more. With that said, good luck." Phil then turned and ran back into the lobby, locking the door behind him.  
  
"You're spared for now hero," The man spat before he charged at the Hydra. He wasn't about to let this Hydra thing help him, that's for sure.  
  
"A killer protecting its pray... you definitely don't see that every day," Sora commented as he readied his Keyblade, "Lets go..." Donald and Goofy gave the boy a head nod before the followed him into battle.  
  
Donald stopped his charge and raised his wand high in the air. The tip started to spark with electricity as he waved it around, shouting the word "thundaga" as loud as he could. Sora watched as the clouds darkened over the beast, stopping in his place as the clouds began to spark. Many bolts of lighting shot down from the clouds, and not a one missed its target.  
  
"So that's fighting magic," Sora muttered in awe, watching the clouds vanish before he started to attack the monster's short legs.  
  
The man glared hatefully at the beast from behind his sunglasses as he stood atop the Hydra's back. He growled and cursed under his breath as he repeatedly stabbed the beast in the back with his kantana. The Hydra screeched from pain, but was to occupied at the moment by the others that attacked at its legs to remove the man from its back. Eventually, one head turned and snapped at the man, knocking him from its back.  
  
"Everyone move!" The man shouted as he charged at the beast.  
  
Goofy and Sora barely had time to move before the man ran in between them and the Hydra, kantana drawn and slicing off the Hydra's front and back legs on the right side. The monster screeched as it began to fall, but the man was ready for it. He held his kantana above his head to catch the monster, and once it hand penetrated the monster's chest far enough he jumped up in the air, finishing his blow.  
  
Sora, along with everyone else, stood in awe as the monster screeched one last time before it dropped to the ground. The gashes pored out crimson blood, creating a pool around the Hydra. Sora, looking sick to his stomach, backed away from the approaching blood pool as he watched a blue, glowing heart float out of its chest. The man walked up to the Hydra and snatched the heart out of midair before it had the time to vanish, confusing the others. He stared at the heart for a moment or two before he started to leave.  
  
"Where are you going?" Hercules asked, "Didn't you want my heart?"  
  
"Do you really want me to take it that bad?"  
  
"No!" Hercules spat, "I was just wonder why you're taking the Hydra's instead of mine?"  
  
"None of your business," The man spat before he walked up to the door to leave the coliseum, "I'll be back for yours next, hero, don't you worry about that."  
  
"Hold on!" Hercules shouted as he sheathed his sword and took a few wary steps towards the man, "I'd like to know my pursuers name before you go." The man turned to Hercules, his kantana resting on his shoulder, while his other hand held the glowing heart.  
  
"...Auron..." He answered before he left, closing the door behind him.  
  
"What are you doing?" Panic asked as he hurriedly followed Auron.  
  
"You do know you have the wrong heart, don't you," Pain asked, pointing out the obvious.  
  
"Got a problem with it?" Auron spat.  
  
"Well... you're kinda supposed to get Hercules's heart," Panic stated.  
  
"You don't think I know that?" He growled, glaring at Hades' minions.  
  
"Y-yes, I'm sure you do but..." Panic fiddled with his tail as he trailed off.  
  
"What are you going to do with it?" Pain asked, finishing Panic's sentence.  
  
"Think of it as a present for your... master," Auron said as he shot a smirk at the minions, scaring them quite a bit as they walked along behind him. Never had they seen the man smile before, and now they knew why.

* * *

"What's the deal Hades?" Auron shouted as he charged into the room in a full rampage.  
  
"Auron, you're back so soon?" Hades asked calmly.  
  
"I can handle the hero on my own!" Auron growled, "I don't need help from your stupid mindless beasts!" Auron took the heart he had in his hand and through it angrily at him. Hades glared at the man as the Hydra's heart hit his chest and dropped into his lap.  
  
"I'm sorry, I just thought you might need some assistance."  
  
"Well, you thought wrong!"  
  
"This heart isn't Hercules's," Hades said as he examined the heart. The flame on his head turned red as he glared at Auron, "This is my Hydra's heart. Were you trying to fool me with this?"  
  
"No, I had a feeling you'd recognize your own monster so I just brought it to you as a present."  
  
"Did you do this?"  
  
"Do you think that hero and a boy would have defeated it so fast?"  
  
"Why you..." Hades stood from his chair as he growled at him the flame rising on his head, but something else caught his interest, "Wait, a boy?"  
  
"Yeah, some little punk kid who tried to stop me-"  
  
"What'd he look like?"  
  
"...Brown wild hair, had this odd looking weapon shaped like a key-"  
  
"Was there anybody else with him?"  
  
"Yeah, a talking duck and dog-"  
  
"Its that brat!" Hades yelled as a red flame rising high in the air.  
  
"You know the boy?"  
  
"That brat spoiled my plans last time he came around," Hades growled, "Next time you see him, kill the boy as well."  
  
"What's in it for me?"  
  
"How about more power?" Hades suggested, "Ruler of a section of the world? You name it, you get it."  
  
"Feh, whatever," Auron mumbled as he started to leave, "I don't see why this little boy is such a nuisance to you. He looks harmless to me." Auron turned to smile at the lord of the underworld.  
  
"What are you smiling at?" Hades snapped.  
  
"It just amuses me that the lord of the underworld can't deal with a little kid on his own."  
  
"Get out!" Hades shouted, only receiving a small chuckle from the man as he left.  
  
"Pain! Panic!"  
  
"Yes my lord," Both minions answer as they ran into the room.  
  
"We're going to need some more recruits," Hades started, running a hand through the blue flame on his head, "Send my new little helper to have a word with Nessus. I think he'd be of good use."  
  
"Yes sir!" Both said before they ran out of the room.

* * *

Riku: Hello everybody, I'm back! You can stop worrying now. I only left to get another friend cause apparently Squaresoft just doesn't give a shit about me, or Sora. So I'd like everyone to give a warm welcome to Kairi!  
  
Kairi: Um... hi. ((Sora's gets a huge goofy grin on his face as he waves to Kairi))  
  
Author: Should have known he'd get someone else. ((Sighs)) Hi Kairi.  
  
Random person: But I thought you didn't own Kingdom Hearts?  
  
Author: Stupid random person, get out of here! Go attack the random person Sora! Go, go, ... go... Sora? ((Looks back to find Sora with a stupid grin on his face as he sits next to Kairi)) Go get the person Riku!   
  
Riku: You've GOT to be joking?  
  
Author: See if I ever do you any favors then. ((Grabs her useless paper-back dictionary and chases the random person away))  
  
Riku: ...Well, I guess since Demon's gone and Sora's um... ((Looks back at Sora)) not with us mentally, that means I get to do the notes. ((Grins))  
  
Kairi: Actually, it says here on this little sheet of paper that conveniently fell out of Demon's pocket, when Demon cannot fulfill her duties of thanking the wonderful reviewers, and Sora is some how not able then it's up to anyone else left in the room besides Riku. ((Riku frowns)) If only Riku is in the room then it's up my Neopet stuff animal Shoyru, since Riku is still forbidden from the notes. ((Kairi presses Shoyru's paw))  
  
Shoyru: Hi, I'm a Shoyru!  
  
Kairi: Cute! ((Starts to hug the purple dragon)) So according to the note it's my job now. ((Smiles)) Hi reviewers! It's nice to know you're reading this story. ((Looks over at Riku)) Am I supposed to read these notes that are paper-clipped to this?   
  
Riku: Yeah. ((Glares at Shoyru angrily))  
  
Kairi: Okay then. ((Looks at the notes and then back at Riku)) What did the paper mean when it said you were forbidden from the notes?  
  
Riku: Oh... I'm just… not aloud to read them.  
  
Sora: ((Cough)) Liar! ((Cough))   
  
Riku: ((Glares at Sora as he wakes him with a pillow)) Hey... no wonder Demon likes to do this so much. ((Sora cowers behind Kairi))  
  
Kairi: That's not very nice, Riku! ((Glares at Riku))  
  
Riku: But Demon does it to me!  
  
Kairi: Probably cause you deserved it. ((Mumbles before she starts to read the notes))  
  
Riku: O.O ((Drops the pillow from shock))  
  
Zanisha's note: You really think I've done a great job? ((Blushes)) I'm touched. Thank you so much! You're such a wonderful reviewer. I'm so glad you're enjoying this. It makes me so happy. ((Bounces around the room)) Thank you so much for all your kind words. It touches me, really it does. It's just great to know I'm doing so well. Thanks again!   
  
animefreak321654's note: I'm super glad you liked the last chapter, and I'm also glad you like Yu Yu Hakusho. It's one of my favs too, the again, that's why I put it in this story. ((Grins)) It's great being an author. Big thanks for reviewing!  
  
Rurouni Saiyan's note: Thanks for the extra pillows. I plan on using these babies later. ((Grins evilly)) Yeah I like Cloud, he's super cool, so I decided to put him in... after I remembered the tournament only lets teams of five in. ((Laughs sheepishly)) Glad I remembered that important detail. ((Grins)) So when do you plan on updating your stories? Huh? When? LOL, you know I'm only joking, right? But seriously, you need to update. If I have to wait any longer I'm sure I'll die or something close to it… like a comma or some rare virus... You don't want that to happen now, do you? ((Gives Rurouni Saiyan a questioning look)) As always, thanks for the review! ((Grins))  
  
MagRowan's note: Man do I fell like a complete dork for missing too and our. I normally catch those. Stupid me. ((Slaps forehead repeatedly)) It sucks that you don't have summer vacation any more. ((Pouts)) I love my summer vacations. It's the only thing I look forward to after the winter break. ((Grins)) I'd like to get a job so I could earn some money, but I'm not old enough yet. Curse my summer birthday. ((Mumbles)) Then again I don't really want to work cause I'm sure the only place that would higher me would be McDonald's. ((Cowers in a corner)) That clown scars me. Anyway thanks for the help with my horrible spelling, and thanks for reviewing! ((Grins))  
  
Sora: You did so much better than me Kairi.  
  
Kairi: Thanks Sora. ((Kairi smiles sweetly at Sora and he faints)) Uh... Sora? Right, well c ya later reviewers. 


	13. Chapter 12

The Darkness Within  
Chapter 12: A Hero's Love

* * *

"Oh man!" Max muttered, "This is so bad. This is so very bad! We have to save Jetta!"  
  
"Hey lady!" Neron shouted as he waved Koto down, "I'm talking to you fox woman! Answer me!"  
  
"The name's Koto," The announcer spat as she turned to glare at him, "What do you want? Make it snappy I still have a battle to referee."  
  
"Can we call a time out?"  
  
"Sorry, no time outs."  
  
"But my friend!" Neron shouted, "She'll die!"  
  
"That's not my problem."  
  
"Let me help then."  
  
"Sorry kid, but if you step foot on the arena your entire team is disqualified from the tournament," Koto explained, "Besides, what help do you think you have to offer? It'd be impossible to catch her at the speed she's falling from."  
  
"I... " Neron trailed off before he looked back up at the sky.  
  
"Oh man!" Koto shouted, "Now look what you did! I must have missed some kind of awesome attack for Riku to be looking like that!" Koto turned to glare at Neron before she waved him away from her.  
  
Riku lay sprawled out on the ground as several newly open wounds dripped his blood onto the arena floor. He grunted as he tried to get up, but his body refused to comply, and he was left to stare up at the sky with half open eyes. Kado was then towering over him, laughing at Riku's state as he picked him up by the collar of his shirt. Riku clenched his fists, waiting for the pain that Kado was about to bestow upon him as he closed his eyes. He was ready.  
  
"Look, Zilla," Kado grinned at the woman as he shook Riku's limp body, "The boy wont fight back anymore."  
  
"So soon?" Zilla asked, "What a shame?"  
  
"What should I do with him?"  
  
"I don't know..." Zilla said as she placed her hands on her hips, "Maybe you could skin him." Riku's eyes shot open.  
  
"Then I'll get his nasty human blood on me," Kado complained, "It'll leave me smelling like him, and the stain will take forever to get out." Zilla rolled her eyes at him.  
  
Riku's eyes widened as the two talked about how they were going to kill him, but it wasn't because he was frightened of his fate, no fare from it, it was what he saw in the sky that frightened him. High in the sky he could see a small speck and he could only guess that it was Jetta's body on a crash course for the arena. He had to help her, but what was he supposed to do? If he tried to catch her he would probably die along with her, but there had to be some way.  
  
"Look, he's not as lifeless as I though he was," Kado chuckled as Riku squirmed to get out of his grasp.  
  
Kado laughed at his attempts to get loss, so out of amusement he dropped him to the ground. Riku landed with a thump then rolled out of Kado's attack. The sword hit the ground with a clank as Riku continued to roll. Once behind him he kicked at the back of Kado's leg, hitting his gash. The man let out a shout as he dropped to the ground on one knee.   
  
Riku immediately jumped up at the on coming Zilla, and grabbed hold of Kado's arm. He twisted the man's arm back in an uncomfortable position until he released his grip on the sword. With one more quick pull Riku dislocated the man's shoulderand took hold of his sword. The next attack was so fast that Zilla didn't know what hit her until it was to late. She looked down at Riku, who had ducked her punch and stabbed her through the stomach.  
  
"Oh man!" Koto shouted, "This battle is just full of twists and turns. One minute Riku is dangling from Kado's grasp, and the next he's unleashing brutal killer attacks. Just looking at Zilla makes my stomach cringe."  
  
"You... brat," Zilla hissed as she spat up blood onto the arena floor.  
  
"Save it," Riku spat as he pulled out his sword and stabbed her yet again; this time trusting his sword through her chest. "That was for my friend you bitch." Zilla smiled at the boy as she dropped to her knees.  
  
"You may have killed me, but that's not going to save the girl." Zilla let out a few weak cackles after Riku pulled his sword from her chest. With a smile still on her face, Zilla dropped to the ground, dead.  
  
"Folks I don't even think I need to count for Zilla, but the rules say I have to," Koto said with a sigh, "One! Two!"  
  
"Jetta..." Riku muttered as he looked up at the sky. She was getting closer, and soon... well, Riku didn't want to think about it.

* * *

Tears threatened to brim Jetta's eyes as she plunged headfirst back down to the arena. Her mind was racing for ways to save herself, but her magic was low and she lost her last ether sometime when she was tossed into the air.  
  
"It's hopeless..." Jetta breathed as she closed her eyes, letting her tears go, "I'm... I'm going to die..."  
  
"I'm really going to die!" Jetta shouted as she brought her hands to her chest, wishing everything was just a dream, even if she knew it was all true. Her depressed face suddenly turned emotionless as she opened her eyes to revile fire red orbs, glowing with anger and rage.  
  
She glared down at the arena with her red eyes as she brought her legs together and held her arms at her sides. As she rapidly picked up speed the friction in the air sparked a flame around her, quickening her speed even more. She knew what to do now.

* * *

"What the..." Riku muttered as he watched Jetta light up on fire, "What is she trying to do?"  
  
"She increased her speed dramatically," Cloud started as he watched the sky.  
  
"What?" Neron shouted, "Why would she do something stupid like that?"  
  
"You little brat!" Kado shouted as he stood from the ground, relocation his arm. Riku glared back at the man as he readied his sword, but he could barely stand his ground as he was.  
  
Kado charged at Riku at a seemingly ungodly speed, catching Riku completely off guard as he started his attack. After the first punch that was thrown, Riku dropped his sword and fell to the ground. The man smiled evilly as he picked up the sword, lashing out at the defenseless Riku. In the weak state Riku was in, Kado could have finished him off easily, but being the evil man he was he had to have his fun first. He enjoyed the screams of Riku's agonizing pain as he rammed the sword into his shoulder, just as he did to him.  
  
Roughly, Kado kicked him over on his back and sliced a gash in the back of his leg, then proceeded by stepping on the gash. Riku cringed as he fought against the pain, but it seemed too much to bear. He was too weak to stop the man, or maybe he wasn't, maybe he could still win this battle. What if he used his powers against the man? Riku could have slapped himself for that comment, but would it be enough to help him? No, he refused, but maybe...  
  
Riku's glowing blue eyes shot open as his body surged with the familiar and frightening power as he flipped himself over, knocking the man away. Kado stumbled a bit, a little dumbfounded at how he regained his strength so quickly, but bounced back at Riku. The boy's eyes narrowed as he dodged every punch, without seeming to try. He grabbed the man's fist during the next punch and twisted it in an impossible direction, breaking the man's arm.  
  
"Y-you..." The man pointed as he backed away from Riku, a small smile forming on his face, "... I've seen your kind..."  
  
"W-what?" Riku asked, a little taken back by the man's words.  
  
"A spawn of darkness... yes, that's what you are."  
  
"I'm not-" Riku started to yell at the man but something caught his eye. Before Riku knew what was happening Kado had been hit by a flame, vanished before his eyes.  
  
Riku blinked a few times before he looked over at the destroyed west wall. The arena had gone into complete silence as they waited for something to happen. A piece of rubble shifted and from it climbed out a very tattered and beaten Jetta, her eyes still glowing a bright red. She stumbled a bit to stand, then looked over in Riku's direction. She smiled weakly at him as her arms hung limp at her side before he eyes changed back into their normal bright green color.  
  
"Jetta?" Riku breathed as he continued to watch as her eyes roll into the back of her head before she fell to the ground, "Jetta!"  
  
"Stay there Riku!" Neron shouted before the boy had a chance to run to his fallen friend, "We'll go check her out." Riku could only nod his head absently as he continued to stare at Jetta's, almost lifeless, body.  
  
"Well..." Koto breathed, her voice louder than normal since the stadium was so silent, "I'm sure most of you missed that extraordinary attack, including me, so we should have that attack recorded to show you on the monitor for a replay." Everyone then turned to look over at the monitor, interested to see what had happened, including Riku and the others.  
  
Jetta appeared on the monitor as she was falling into the stadium, her body still incased in fire. In slow motion the fire was seen being push down her body, sending off powerful large flames from her feet. As she did this she roasted a whole section of demons in the east wing and flew of for the arena, still falling but at a slower pace. As she flew back into the arena she rammed into Kado and slammed him into the west wall, softening her landing while taking down the wall.  
  
"Amazing!" Koto shouted, "Like I said before, this battle was just full of twist, and since Riku is the last one standing that means Team Strife wins this round!"   
  
Riku smiled faintly as his eyes returned to normal, but just as they did he dropped to the ground, passing out from the lose of blood, and agonizing pain coursing through his body. Cloud casually walked up onto the arena, picking up Riku's limb body, and placed him in the grass. The man looked down at Riku with his bright blue eyes full of question towards the boy.  
  
"Spawn of darkness...?" Cloud breathed before Aerith, Botan, and Yukina came running to his side. All three girls gasped at Riku's bloody body, before Botan dropped down on her knees beside him.  
  
"I'll handle this one Yukina," Botan said, "You go help the girl." Yukina gave Botan a quick nod before she ran off in Jetta's direction.  
  
"What's going-"  
  
"Botan's going to try and heal Riku," Aerith answered before she looked back at Botan, "Do you think you can do it?"  
  
"Maybe not back to tip top condition, but I can get him close enough," Botan answered before she held out her hands over Riku, emitting a soothing wave to heal him.  
  
"When he gets up give him this," Aerith said as she tossed Cloud a bottle of potion, "I'm going to go see about Jetta." Cloud quickly caught the bottle, before he almost dropped it, and watched as Aerith ran off to Jetta.  
  
"Will our next to competitors please come forth for the next round," Koto announced.  
  
"What?" Neron shouted, "So soon?"  
  
"It's okay, don't worry," Yukina said softly as she approached the three, "You can go on and start the battle. I'm going to see what I can do to help heal her." Neron looked up at the girl from Jetta's side as he stood.  
  
"You can help her?" Max asked, standing up as well.  
  
"Well..." Yukina trailed off when she noticed the gruesome sight Jetta was in, "I'll do the best I can."  
  
"...Okay..." Neron said as he took one last look at Jetta, " Lets go Max."  
  
"Right," Max said before he followed Neron to the arena.  
  
"Yukina!" Aerith called out as she ran up to the girl, "Need some help?"  
  
"I'll need all the help I can get."

* * *

"I don't know about this Hercules," Sora said as he eyed the white horse with a skeptical look, "Are you sure it's safe?"  
  
"Of course," Hercules laughed as he tossed Sora onto the horse's back with little effort at all, "Pegasus is the safest flying horse ever."  
  
"He's the only flying horse," Phil mumbled as he watched Hercules climb onto Pegasus's back.  
  
"I'll send Pegasus back for you two as soon as we reach the island, okay," Hercules said as he pulled Phil up on the horse right as it was taking off. Donald and Goofy gave the man a quick nod of their heads as they watched them leave.  
  
"See you guys later!" Sora called out at the two as he waved back at his two companions. After realizing he was only holding on with one hand he quickly turned around and grabbed onto Pegasus's blue mane.  
  
"Relax, Sora," Hercules laughed, "I'm not going to let you fall."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
Donald and Goofy watched as the three disappeared form their view, flying away on the horse. Donald glanced over at Goofy, to find his dog friend still waving good-bye. With an annoyed sigh, Donald hit Goofy in the stomach with his wand, stopping the dog.  
  
"Well, now what are we supposed to do?" Donald asked irritably.  
  
"We can... uh... play tic-tac-toe?" Goofy suggested. Donald sighed before he dropped down on his knees and started to draw the playing board in the sand with his feathered finger. At least it was something.

* * *

"How far away is this island?" Sora asked, already bored out of his mind as he let his head rest on the back of Pegasus's neck, not bothering to hold on anymore.   
  
"Not to far away," Hercules answered before a scream pierced through the peacefulness of their ride.  
  
"What was that?" Sora asked as Hercules stopped Pegasus in midair to take a look.  
  
"Sounds like your basic D.I.D." Phil answered.  
  
"What's that?" Sora asked, now more confused than ever.  
  
"Damsel in distress," Hercules answered before he turned Pegasus in the direction of the scream and dove down to the large island, causing Sora to grab hold of the horse once again.  
  
After landing on the island Sora was left to follow Hercules through the marshy area, in hopes of finding this damsel. Another scream was heard as a woman came running from around a river's bend in the water. She stumbled into the water just as a blue colored centaur came splashing around the corner. He laughed as he picked up the woman causing her to scream again.  
  
"Let me go Nessus or I'll-" the woman shouted as she tried to kick at the centaur's face.  
  
"Oh, I like 'em feisty," Nessus chuckled as he pulled her in close for a kiss.   
  
"Gross," Sora muttered from the bushes as he turned his gaze away, "Someone please tell me he's not going to... kiss her." Sora cringed at the thought.  
  
"Hey!" Hercules shouted as he stomped up to Nessus and the woman in the water. Both stopped and looked over at him with a questioning look, "Do you want me to take care of him for you ma'am?"  
  
"No, I'm good," The woman said as she continued to try and get out of his grasp.  
  
"But... aren't you a damsel in distress?" Hercules asked.  
  
"I'm a damsel. I'm in distress. I can handle this," The woman answered, struggling between each sentence.  
  
"Are you sure-"  
  
"Buzz off!" Nessus shouted before he kicked Hercules in the face with his two back legs.  
  
"Hercules, are you okay!" Sora shouted as he ran into the water to help the hero up.  
  
"I'm fine, Sora," Hercules answered as he stood, "You just wait here while I go take care of this."  
  
"Uh... okay..." Sora muttered as he stood in the water and watched as Hercules ran off.   
  
Everyone watched as Hercules rammed Nessus in the stomach with his shoulder, sending him flying into a nearby waterfall. The woman was instantly released from his grip on impact and went flying into the innocent bystander. Sora's eyes widened as he started to move out of the way, but the woman hit him hard in the back. Both tumbled into the water with a splash, casing Hercules to advert his gaze from Nessus.  
  
"I'm so sorry," Hercules apologized as he pulled the woman out of the water and set her down on a nearby rock, "That was really stupid of me."  
  
"Yeah," The woman agreed as she tried to fix her long brown hair.  
  
"How dare you!" Nessus shouted as he gave the man an angry snort.   
  
"Excuse me," Hercules said politely before he went tarring off for the centaur once again.  
  
Hercules grabbed Nessus in a headlock easily and punched him several times in the face before he slammed him into the water. Sora had just stood when the wall of water from Nessus's splash came crashing down upon him, and if it was possible, leaving him even more soaked than he already was. Sora turned and watched with an aggravated gleam in his eyes as Hercules lashed on the centaur, giving him one last punch. The centaur was sent flying high in the air, fallowed by all four of his horseshoes.  
  
When Nessus landed in the river a few moments later he was hit by all four of his horseshoes. His eyes rolled into the back of his head before he fell face forward into the water with an odd look on his face. Pegasus gladly flew out over to him and stepped on his head a few times with a happy neigh before following Hercules out of the water.  
  
"Whoa, Herc!" Phil shouted as his hero passed him by, "Where do you think you're going?" However, Hercules continued to walk, as if in a daze.  
  
"What's with him?" Sora asked, still dripping. Both Phil and Pegasus shrugged their shoulders as they followed the hero into the forest.  
  
"Um... you okay," Hercules asked as he walked up to the woman.  
  
"Yeah, a little wet but no harm done," She answered as she slung her wet hair back, only for it to slap Hercules in the face, "So, do you have a name to go along with all of those ribbing pectorals?"  
  
"Yeah... I'm... uh..." The woman couldn't help but smile at the stuttering hero.  
  
"Are you always this articulate?"  
  
"Hercules! I'm Hercules," He answered, "What's your name?"  
  
"Megara, but my friends call me Meg," She answered, "Or at least that's what they'd call me if I had any friends."  
  
"So what was the deal with that Centaur?" Hercules asked.  
  
"Oh, you know how guys are. They think no means yes, and get lost means take me I'm yours," Meg said, but Hercules just gave her a confused look, "Never mind. Look I have to go."  
  
"Wait, Pegasus and I can give you a ride," Hercules said. Pegasus simply gave the hero a snort before it flew up in a tree.  
  
"I don't think it likes me," Meg said, stating the obvious.  
  
"Pegasus? No way he- Ouch!" Hercules rubbed his head after Pegasus threw an apple at him. Sora smiled as he tried not to laugh.  
  
"It's okay, I'll walk," Meg said before she smiled at Hercules, "Besides, I'm a big girl. I tie my own sandals and everything."  
  
"Right..." Hercules said with a small chuckle.  
  
"See you later wonder boy," Meg said before she turned and walked into the woods.  
  
"Man..." Hercules sighed as he leaned up against a tree. Sora snickered to himself before he approached the man.  
  
"Hercules and Megara sitting in a tree," Sora started to sing from behind Hercules, "K. I. S. S. I. N. G."  
  
"Sora!" Hercules yelled out of surprise as he turned to the boy and glared at him, but Sora wasn't threatened at all as he continued.  
  
"First comes love. Then comes marriage. Next- Gah! Hey!" Sora shouted after he was pulled into another headlock by the man, "Cut it out Hercules, I was only joking! Besides, I know you want to." Hercules blushed lightly before he resumed his hateful glare.  
  
"I'll let you go on one condition, and that's if you cut it out with the childish singing."  
  
"Childish?" Sora snorted as he glared at the ground, "Look's who's talking."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm not the one who has you in a headlock after reacting to a 'childish' song," Sora spat, "Songs like that shouldn't have an affect on a grown man such as yourself." Phil couldn't help put crack a smiled before he decided to cut it.  
  
"I'm not-"  
  
"Hey, we don't have time to waste!" Phil shouted, "We need to get to my island, not to mention get the other two there as well."  
  
"Yeah, I bet Donald and Goofy are bored out of their minds," Sora said before Hercules released him.  
  
"Let's get going," Hercules said as Pegasus jumped down from the tree, knowing he was needed.

* * *

Donald and Goofy still sat in the coliseum surrounded by many already played tic-tac-toe games; most ending as draws. Donald growled as he slammed a feathered fist into the ground. He was defeated once again, but something else bothered him.  
  
"When's that horse going to get here?" Donald shouted. Goofy shrugged his shoulder at his duck friend.  
  
"Maybe it got lost," Goofy said, "Gawsh, then we'd be stuck here for an awfully long time."  
  
"I don't think it got lost, Goofy," Donald said flatly as he started to wipe away the game absently.  
  
"Wanna play dots?"  
  
"Sure," Donald said with a heavy sigh. What else was there to do?

* * *

Author: Kairi got you so good. ((Points and laughs at Riku)) Rock on Kairi! ((High fives Kairi)) And boy did you ever disserve it. Hitting poor Sora like that. Looks like now is a good of time as any to use those extra pillows Rurouni Saiyan gave me.  
  
Riku: What?! ((Riku gets hit with the pillows several times))   
  
Author: Now, don't you have something to say to poor Sora? ((Taps foot irritably))  
  
Riku: ((Mumbles)) Sorry Sora.  
  
Sora: ((Smiles)) I forgive you Riku! ((Hugs Riku))  
  
Riku: Gah... Get off Sora! ((Tries to push Sora away from him))  
  
Author: o.O Man, is it just me or does Sora have one hell of a vice grip hug.   
  
Kairi: It's not just you. ((Holds in laughter at Riku's attempts to get Sora off of him))  
  
Author: Where's a camera when you need one? This is so a Kodak moment. ((Laughs)) Anyway, I now have everyone's notes, hot off the press and ready for reading. Enjoy!  
  
Zanisha's note: Oh I feel bad that you have the chickenpox. I hated that when I got it. ((Nodes head)) I'm super glad you like my fight scenes, took me forever to type. I hate doing fight scenes, but I must. It's good to know I don't suck at them though. ((Grins)) Anyway thanks for reviewing; I enjoy getting your reviews.  
  
Rurouni Saiyan's note: The whole thing at the end with Riku getting back up came from you, so feel very proud of yourself. I really wasn't going to have his powers come back until... I'm not going to spoil it, but they are coming back later. Truthfully I was having writers block and then I got your review and I'm all, "Hey that sounds like a cool idea" so I made his dark powers come back into play. So thank you very much. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! ((Grins)) Another thanks for reviewing, and another for the pillows. They really came in handy, and I plain on using them for a very long time. Thanks again!  
  
Kairi: ((Glares at Riku)) You tore Rurouni Saiyan's note up, huh?  
  
Riku: Did I fail to mention that? Oops. Yeah, but it was an accident. ((Gets hit by the pillows several times again))  
  
Author: Accident my ass! ((Mumbles))   
  
animefreak321654's note: I'm super glad you liked my last chapter! It makes me so happy. Thanks for reviewing! ((Grins))  
  
MagRowan's note: I'm very glad you thought my fight scenes were good. It means a lot to me when people like my fight scenes, mainly cause I think they suck, but I guess that's just me since you and the other reviews keep proving me wrong. ((Grins)) I don't mind you checking my spelling at all, not unless it is annoying you keep putting it in your review. Myself I think you're helping me a lot with my spelling and I'm very great full to you. I feel as if I'm improving little by little with each chapter, and it's such a great feeling. If you wanna stop I don't blame ya cause I mean it's a lot to correct, LOL. ((Grins)) Thanks a ton for the review!!  
  
Inuyasha's apprentice's note: Man, I'm just so happy right now. I think everyone liked my fight scenes. I'm so happy. ((Bounces around the room)) This is so great! Yeah Koto's got the best job in the world and she's right there with the action... sometimes that's not a good thing, but still, it'd be awesome. Yes, I mush agree that Cloud and Kurama in one place is like... heaven on earth. ((Drools along with ya)) Anyway thanks for reviewing!! ((Grins))  
  
Sora: ((Pouts as he releases Riku)) No, don't be sad Inuyasha's apprentice, your still my friend. ((Run and hugs Inuyasha's apprentice)) Just cause Kairi's here now doesn't me I'll forget about you.  
  
Riku: I'm free. ((Runs off shouting happily))  
  
Kairi and Author: Awwww. ((Sora blushes))  
  
Riku: You girls are weird. All he did was hug her. ((Snorts))  
  
Author: Yes, and it was cute, but what would you know about being cute.  
  
Riku: Cute is for sissies.  
  
Sora: ... Hey! I resent that! ((Takes a pillow from Demon and hits Riku))  
  
Riku: Hey! ((Looks over at Kairi for back up))  
  
Kairi: Sorry, Riku, but you disserved that too.  
  
Author: ((Laughs)) Thanks for stopping by everyone. Have a fun pillow-whacking day! ((Hits Riku with the pillows for no reason)) Chow for now! 


	14. Chapter 13

The Darkness Within  
Chapter 13: Winners and Losers

* * *

Neron and Max stepped up onto the arena, both equally nervous after seeing what happened to Riku and Jetta. Neron, however, had to support not only his confidence, but Max's confidence too, since he was practical shaking in his sneakers. The blonde simply sighed heavily before he looked back at Riku; he still wasn't up. When his gaze returned to the battle arena he found their competitors had already stepped up.  
  
One was a rather tall man that looked as if he had no mussel at all, but then again the baggy clothes could just be hiding his true mussels. He had wild platinum blonde hair with rich amber eyes that gave off a lazy, yet relaxed, look. He wouldn't have been scary if it wasn't for the fact that he was barring his fangs and had, what seemed to look like, razor sharp nails. Next to him was a shorter man, that seemed way tougher than the other, with long brown hair pulled back into a loss and messy ponytail. His odd hazy blue eyes held a death glare on Neron as he pulled out a large sword that was sheathed on his back.   
  
"The second round is between Neron and Max, from Team Strife, and Ryo and Toan, from Team Kuroi," Koto announced, "The rules are the same, and so, with that said, let the battle begin!"  
  
"These two are scared out of their minds," The talk man whispered to his partner.  
  
"So I see," The other man said, "Lets have some fun with them. What do you say, Toan? Sound good to you?"  
  
"Doesn't it always," Toan said as he extended his claws and charged at the shaking Max. Ryo also charged forward as well, holding his sword by his side, aimed directly for Neron.  
  
"Fire!" Max shouted as he shot off several fireballs from his wand. Toan smiled, barring his fangs once again, as he dodged every one of them with a graceful side step; continuing his advance on Max. He jumped up in the air, claws extended for when he pounced on the dog from above, but Max had something else planed.  
  
"Blizzard!" He yelled as a flurry of snow came shooting out of his wand, numbing the demon's skin as he continued to fall. Before he knew it the snow had turned into ice crystals and were zipping past him at a fast speed, cutting his clothes and his skin.  
  
Max ran out of the way, once his spell had ended, letting the demon land in a squatting position on the ground. Once again Toan leaped at the dog, but this time Max wasn't prepared. Toan had slammed into his back from behind, digging his claws into Max's skin as he pushed him down at the arena floor. His amber eyes flashed as he continued to dig deeper into his back.  
  
"Wind!" Max managed to shout with his teeth clinched in pain. Instantly, the wind currents picked up around his body and violently threw Toan from his back.  
  
"Amazing!" Koto announced, "I've never seen one person hold so much power over more than one element before. What a magnificent display!"  
  
As Ryo charged at, what he thought was, the unarmed boy as he lifted his sword over his head to strike the stupid boy for not moving while he had the chance. Neron crossed his arms over his chest, palms out, and waited for the right moment. As Ryo's sword descended upon Neron he uncrossed his arms, a light shining from each hand as his two Keyblades appeared before him. Ryo was shocked at how the two weapons got there as he pushed down on the boy's two crossed... giant keys?  
  
Neron smirked at the man's surprised expression as he closed his two Keyblades on the man's sword like scissors, and once secured he twisted the sword out of his grasp. The sword dropped with a clang as the blonde back slashed with the key. Ryo managed to block with a metal wrist guard, but was surprised to find it gone after the attack. Both starred dumbly at the Keyblade to find Ryo's wrist guard hanging from the hook at the end of his weapon.  
  
"So that's what the hook is for," Neron exclaimed as he removed it from the hook and placed it on his own wrist. Neron smiled at the Kindthief Keyblade now knowing that it really was a thief, "Thanks for the wrist guard." Neron gave the man one last smile before he returned to focusing on the battle.  
  
"Damn you, you little brat!" Ryo growled as he began to lash out at Neron with fierce punches.  
  
The Keyblade wielder gasped at the sudden furry of punches as he stumbled backwards while blocking his every punch with the two keys, most of it just being luck. Frustrated at Neron, Ryo reached out and grabbed hold of his two keys, keeping Neron in place as he struggled to get them back, before he kicked him in the chest. Neron groaned as he fell to the ground, trying to catch the breath that was knocked from his lungs. Ryo smiled as he tossed the keys in the air, catching them by the handle, but just as his hands touched the handle they disappeared from his hands and back into Neron's.  
  
"What the-"  
  
"In a bizarre event, Ryo's plan to use Neron's two... uh... keys against him has backfired," Koto announced, "It seems Neron holds some kind of power over his weapons so only he can use them. Amazing! I don't recall seeing anything like it."  
  
Neron smiled as he stood from the ground, Keyblades in hand, preparing himself for another round. Ryo had already picked his sword up from the ground and had started another charge at Neron. Both met in the center of the arena with their weapons clashing as they blocked each other's moves almost perfectly.

* * *

Riku moaned as he started to wake from his unconscious state. He was confused at first because he was hurting so badly, and yet there was a relaxing sensation spreading through his body. It felt odd to feel pain and comfort all at once, but he noticed that the pain was slowly leaving his body; all but a pain in his shoulder that hurt like hell.  
  
"That's all I can do," a woman's voice said before the comfort ended and he was left with that annoying pain in his shoulder. Riku growled as he started to open his eyes to see whom it was, "Oh! He's waking up!"  
  
"So soon?" came a deep voice.   
  
"I know, I figured he'd be out a little longer myself," The woman said. Riku remembered her voice now, it was Botan, and the other was Cloud. He opened his eyes a bit further to find that his deduction was right. Both Cloud and Botan came into his view, hovering over him.  
  
"You feeling okay," Cloud asked.  
  
"...Does it look like I'm okay," Riku moaned as he shut his eyes. Cloud just glared at the boy before he shook his good shoulder roughly.  
  
"Hey, get up, you need to drink this."  
  
"Give it to me later."  
  
"You really should drink it," Botan said, cutting in before it got any uglier, "It's a potion and I'm sure it will help your condition." Riku slowly opened his eyes again and looked over at the angry Cloud with a potion in his hand.  
  
"Fine," Riku said as he reached up for it. Cloud, reluctantly, gave the potion to Riku and watched him drink every last drop.  
  
"Feel any better?"  
  
"Yeah a little," Riku said before he tried to sit up, getting help from Botan, even if he protested, "How long has their fight been going on?"  
  
"It just started," Botan answered as she watched him stand without her help.   
  
Riku turned his attention away from the battle and to the place where he last saw Jetta. Without another word he walked off in Jetta's direction to check up on her, ignoring Botan's shouts to stay put. He felt fine, well, good enough not to stay in one place. Besides, his shoulder was the only thing really hurting him, and he didn't need his shoulder to walk; so what harm could he possibly do to himself?

* * *

"Damn mutt faced brat," Toan growled as he stood up and dusted his shirt off.  
  
Toan looked up at Max, with his little wand pointed at him ready for anything, but Toan noticed the shaky grip he had on that stink. The man laughed as he slowly approached the dog. This wizard mutt was terrified of the man, and Toan loved the advantage he had. Sure he was tossed into the air like nothing a few moments ago, but that's nothing compared to the fear that struck Max.  
  
Without another word Toan charged at Max once again, knocking the wand out of his hand before he had the chance to summon up any more spells. Max gasped from the shock of his wand being knocked out of the ring before he was hit in the face by the back of Toan's fist. Max rolled a few feet before he came to a stop. As he laid there, he wished Donald would have taught him martial art instead of magic.  
  
"So you are useless without your little stick," Toan laughed as he picked Max up by the collar of his shirt, "Since you can't fight back anymore, why don't you hold still while I beat the living hell out of you."  
  
Toan smiled at the dog as he brought back his other fist and just when he was going to strike one of Neron's Keyblades came flying at him. Toan let out a yelp in pain as he dropped Max to the ground, holding his severely cut arm. While Toan was down and vulnerable, Max lashed out giving the demon a few good left and right hooks until he feel to the ground. Max might not have his wand for casting spells, but that didn't mean could throw a few punches.  
  
"Thanks, Neron," Max called out to the blonde as his Keyblade returned to his hand.  
  
"Any time!" Neron called back before he realized he was still in a fight as well.  
  
Neron turned just in time to find Ryo was starting another attack on him. Quickly he dodged the oncoming sword, by just a hair, before he swung the Keyblade backwards and knocked Ryo in the back. Neron continued to turn until he struck the man with the other Keyblade. While Ryo was stumbling a bit to catch his balance, Neron roughly kicked the sword out of his hands, and then, using the Kindthief, he stole the other wrist guard from his arm.  
  
After equipping the other wrist guard he charged at the man, lashing out with his Keyblades. Ryo once again grabbed onto to boy's Keyblades to stop his attacks. Quickly he pushed down on the Keyblades and punched Neron several times before he could use his weapons to defend himself. When Neron regained his control, he brought up the Keyblades and blocked the next few punches. With little to no effort, Ryo flipped over the boy and kicked him in the back.  
  
Neron instantly lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thump, skidding across the ground a few feet as well. Making sure Neron stayed down, Ryo jumped onto his back, slamming the heels of his feet into his spine. The boy let out a shout as he tightened the grip on his Keyblades. While Neron was struggling to get up, Ryo ran for his fallen sword, and once he had it in hand he charged at Neron.  
  
The blonde had made it onto his hands and knees by now, and with Ryo on the charge he had to hurry. Luck was not on Neron's side as the man turned his sword to the dull edge of the blade and swung upwards, knocking the teen in the jaw. Neron went flying backwards and landed on his back, which didn't feel to good since it was already injured to begin with.  
  
"It looks like Ryo is taking advantage of Neron's injures. How wonderful is that? I love it when the challengers fight dirty," Koto announced before she turned her attention to Max's fight, "Folks it looks like Team Kuroi is ruling in this battle. It seems like Max is having quite a hard time avoiding Toan's lightning fast strikes."  
  
Indeed, Koto was true, because moments after Max had beaten down Toan he had rose up and lashed out violent and quick punches on him, and not one was he able to block. Toan was now growing bored of just beating Max senseless. In the blink of an eye Toan had Max hoisted in the air by the collar of his shirt. With an evil looking smirk he slammed Max to the ground, watching him do a second bounce on the ground. Before Max hit the ground on the second bounce Toan kicked him in the gut, sending him out of the arena.  
  
"Now that Max is out of the arena, he has ten seconds to get back in before he is excluded for the rest of the battle," Koto stated, "One. Two."  
  
Max slowly lifted himself from the ground and wincing from the pain in, not only, his back, from getting slammed on the ground, but his stomach too. He lifted his head to see how far he was from the arena and was surprised to find that his wand was a few feet in front of him, and that he was pretty far away from the arena.  
  
"Three. Four. Five. Six."  
  
Max crawled over to his wand and slowly stood from the ground. He knew that in his stat he wouldn't be able to make it back in time, so the next best thing would be to help Neron out one final time.  
  
"Seven. Eight."  
  
"Thunder!" Max shouted as his wand sparked at the tip.  
  
"Nine... uh..." Koto paused as she looked up above the arena as dark clouds formed out of nowhere, "What's going on?"  
  
Koto's question was soon answered by many bolts of lightning striking the ground from the cloud. The fox woman gasped as she ran out from under the cloud, just barely dodging a lighting bolt. Both Toan and Ryo shouted as the lighting struck them several times, stunning them for the moment. Like Koto, Neron was left to dodge the bolts of lightning, praying that he wouldn't get hit like his two challengers. The boy sighed seeing that the clouds had vanished just as fast as they came; now knowing he was out of danger.  
  
"Well, I think it's safe to say that it has been ten seconds, so Max is now excluded from the rest of the battle," Koto announced with a shaky voice, still a little stunned, as she stood from the ground, "If that last attack doesn't keep Toan and Ryo down Neron is going to have a hard time fighting the both of them alone."  
  
"That's for sure," Neron muttered as he stood from the ground, but so did Toan and Ryo.  
  
"This is going to be fun," Toan commented as he smiled at his teammate before both charged at the still shaken boy.

* * *

"So, how's Jetta doing?" Riku asked as he walked up to the two girls.  
  
"Riku?" Aerith gasped, "You recovered fast. Did Cloud give you the potion?"  
  
"Yes," Riku answered, "But I still have this injury in my shoulder."  
  
"Here," Aerith said as she held out another potion for Riku, "Maybe this will help it." Riku looked down at the green liquid and then back at Aerith.  
  
"How many more do you have?"  
  
"This is my last one-"  
  
"Save it," Riku said, "Jetta will need it more than me. So, what's her condition?"  
  
"Not to good I'm afraid," Yukina said softly as she looked up at Riku with sad blue eyes, "Both of her arms are still broken, and I'm afraid I've used up all of my magic. However, she is better than she was."  
  
"What was she like before?"  
  
"Many bruised bones, three broken rips, and, what seemed like, hundreds of cuts from the rubble, I assume," Yukina said with a heavy sigh, "Do you have any magic left, Aerith?"  
  
"Not enough to heal her broken arms, but I can make them better," Aerith answered as she held her hands over the girl.   
  
Riku watched with curiosity as green waves of energy pulsed from her hands. After a moment or two of watching her, Riku started to get a little bored. Riku turned his gaze to the arena and was surprised to find Max slowly walking towards the small group. Now worried about Neron being alone in the arena he looked on at the battle, wincing a bit from the punches being thrown at him.  
  
One of the punches that a blonde man threw knocked Neron clear out of the ring. The two men smiled at one another before they walked off to their leader, already sure of their victory. Koto counted, but Neron didn't even bother to move from his place on the ground. Riku sighed heavily, knowing that that battle was lost.  
  
"By two knock outs it looks like Team Kuroi has won the round!" Koto announced, receiving shouts of joy from the audience of demons, glad that their kind won the round.  
  
"You did good," Riku said as he placed a hand on Max's shoulder.  
  
"Whatever," Max sighed, "Maybe if that Toan guy hadn't of knocked my wand out of the ring we could have had a chance at winning."  
  
"It's okay, a least you lost by a knock out," Riku said, "It could have been worse."  
  
"True," Max said before he decided to change the subject, "I didn't expect you up so soon. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Neither did Aerith," Riku said with a faint smile, "but I'm better than I was." Riku looked over at Neron to find he had sat up, but still hadn't bothered to move from the spot he had landed in.  
  
"I'm gonna go see how Neron is doing," Riku said as he started to walk off, "Get some rest."  
  
"You can bet I will," Max said before he dropped to the ground, exhausted and beaten from the battle. He was glad, even thrilled, to get the time to rest.  
  
"Okay, will the team captains come up onto the arena for the final battle," Koto shouted with anticipation, "I don't know about you folks, but I'm getting excided about this last battle, considering that it is the battle to decide the winners. Talk about the pressure, but by the looks on these two captain's faces they don't seem at all nervous."  
  
"I was hoping it would come down to this," The leader of Team Kuroi said as he smiled at Cloud. A low humph escaped Cloud's throat as he sat the dull edge of his Buster sword on his shoulder, taking on a relaxed appearance.  
  
"Lets just get this over with," Cloud spat as he turned his blue eyes to Koto.  
  
"Right," Koto said, taking Cloud's hint, "The final match to determine the winners of this round are between Cloud, the leader of Team Strife, and Kusue, the leader of Team Kuroi. Let the battle commence!"  
  
"Ready to die so soon I see," Kusue said his arm rose into the air, reaching high above his head, "I'll be more than happy to assist."  
  
"Someone's conceited," Cloud spat as he readied his sword, griping the handle with both hands.  
  
"And why shouldn't I be," Kusue said with a smile as his lime green eyes gleamed at the blonde.   
  
Cloud gave the man a confused look as he continued to stand there with his arm held up high. Not wanted to wait any longer to find out what he was doing, Cloud charged in, holding his sword at his side ready to lash out at the man. Kusue smiled as a portal opened in the sky and dropped out an odd looking sword with a blade on each end and the handle in the middle. The man got the sword just in time too because right when he did Cloud unleashed his attack. A metal clang echoed through the stadium as Cloud's attack was blocked.

* * *

"Hey Riku," Neron sighed as the boy walked up to him.  
  
"Are you feeling okay?" Riku asked as he sat down beside him.  
  
"My back hurts, and I think I'll get a few bruises, but other than that I'm fine," Neron said, "I just need to gather the pieces of my shattered pride, that's all."  
  
"That's the spirit, Neron," Riku chuckled as he gave the boy a pat on the back.  
  
"Gah! Riku!"  
  
"Oh right," Riku said as he pulled his hand away, "Sorry, I forgot."  
  
"So... uh... How's Jetta doing?"  
  
"She better, still unconscious, but better," Riku answered, "Both of her arms are broken though."  
  
"...Ouch," Neron commented, "Now I feel a little bad about complaining about my back."  
  
"Yeah, I felt the same way when I complained about my shoulder," Riku said before he looked over at the boy, "It might just be me, but you seem a little concerned about her."  
  
"Feh," Neron snorted, "I'm only worried about when she gets up and starts yakking again. The girl's got a mouth the size of this world, and she never knows when, or how, to shut it."  
  
"Okay, Neron. Whatever you say," Riku said in a non-believing way before he turned his attention back to the battle. Neron gave the silver haired boy a dirty look before he too decided on watching the final battle.

* * *

"This is truly an amazing final battle," Koto announced, "Every attack that has been made, by Cloud or Kusue, has been countered. Not one hit has been made, which is a little disappointed cause I was hoping for some blood spray about now."  
  
"I've seen enough," Cloud spat as he swung one last time. Kusue blocked it, just like he expected, and pushed away from him with his sword.  
  
Cloud took a few more steps back and held onto his sword with one hand. His other hand balled up into a fist as he closed his blue eyes to concentrate. A breeze picked up around him as electricity sparked from underneath his feet. The electricity climbed up and around his body just as the wind picked up even further. His mahogany colored cape started to flap behind him, rising higher and higher as the wind around him grew stronger. A bat-like wing on his left shoulder blade unfolded from under the cape and spread out as far as it would reach. The lightning around him grew stronger and soon his feet lifted off the ground.  
  
"It's over," Cloud hissed as his eyes reopened as he once again grasped his sword with both hands.  
  
Kusue gasped, not knowing what to do as Cloud came flying at him with a tremendous speed. In a split second Cloud had zipped past him and landed gracefully. Blood dripped from the tip of his blade and onto the arena floor as Kusue dropped his odd sword. The next to fall to the area floor was Kusue, with a pool of blood forming around his body from a gash in his side that literally went halfway through his body.  
  
"I hope you're happy now?" Cloud spat as he looked over a Koto with intense eyes.  
  
"...Amazing... Purely amazing," Koto gasped, "Now that was the blood spill I was looking for! I think it's safe to say that I don't need to count for Kusue cause he looks about as dead as you can get. With two out of three wins, Team Strife wins this round and advances to the next!"  
  
"...Damn..." Neron gasped as he started at Cloud with wide eyes, "He just made us look like complete weaklings."  
  
"I know," Riku said, "And I won my battle."  
  
"Shut up," Neron hissed as he punched at Riku's arm before he stood, Riku doing the same. Both smiled at Cloud as he walked over to the two with his sword, once again, resting on his shoulder.  
  
"That was awesome, Cloud," Neron commented, "You definitely showed us all up."  
  
"Here kid," Cloud said, ignoring the complement as he tossed Neron a bottle of potion, "I think you need it." Neron caught the bottle and looked down at it in confusion.  
  
"You mean you had a potion all along?" Neron asked.  
  
"I was saving it, just incase I needed it after my battle, but it seems that worthless demon did nothing to me so you can have it." Neron looked down at the bottle as both guys cocked an eyebrow at him, "Do you want it or not? Cause I'll gladly take it back."  
  
"What about Jetta?"  
  
"What about her?" Cloud asked.  
  
"I think she needs it more than me."  
  
"Yeah, well, right now she's unconscious and can't drink anything so it doesn't really matter."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Just drink it," Cloud growled before he walked off.  
  
"It doesn't matter much anyway since that one potion can't possibly fix broken bones," Riku said, "Go ahead and drink it." Neron let out a heavy sigh.   
  
"Of course, if you really want to help Jetta that bad then I'll take it to Aerith so she can give it to her when she wakes up," Riku said with a sly smirk on his face. Neron glared at him, knowing exactly what he was trying to say, before he drank the potion.  
  
"You're really starting to bug me now, Riku," Neron spat as he started to walk away.  
  
"It's not my fault you're an open book just dying to be read." Riku laughed lightly after Neron turned to glare at him one last time.  
  
"Shut up, Riku!" Neron shouted, "You don't know anything about me."  
  
"That can easily be changed," Riku said with a smug smile as he walked past the boy. Neron cocked an eyebrow at the boy, wondering what he meant by that before he followed him over to where all the others were gathered.

* * *

Author: I'm so sorry I got this out so late, it's just...to... many... battle... scenes... and I was kinda running a blank when it came to the battles. Now I feel so bad, and I'm so sorry if this chapter sucked. ((Slams head against keyboard)) My head hurts. T-T  
  
Sora: Mine would too if I slammed it against a keyboard. ((Demon sighs))  
  
Author: You guys better be happy that I love you, you wonderful reviewers, cause there's going to be fighting in the next chapter as well. ((Sighs heavily)) I'm so not cut out for this. ((Falls out in the floor))  
  
Riku: ((Grins evilly as he raises his foot))  
  
Author: ((Growls)) Step on me and there will be hell to pay, Riku!  
  
Riku: You're no fun. ((Walks off))  
  
Author: Kairi! Here! Read! ((Hands Kairi the notes))  
  
Kairi: Um... okay.   
  
Sora: What about me!?  
  
Author: Kairi was closer. ((Grins))  
  
animefreak321654's note: ((Hugs the dictionary)) You're the best, and don't you worry I'll give this back in the next chapter, after I've had my fun. ((Grins evilly)) Yes, I will have lots and lots of fun. Muwahahaha- ((Cough cough)) Um, yeah, glad you enjoyed the last chapter and I'm also glad you didn't doubt me. ((Grins)) Thank you for reviewing and thanks once again for the dictionary!  
  
Zanisha's note: Yeah the tic-tac-toe thing was a last minute thing just for kicks. I'm glad a lot of people liked it though. Makes my last minute kick seem worthwhile. ((Grins)) The whole reason I got this out late was because of all the stupid fight scenes. ((Pulls at hair)) I had everything planed, but when I'd started to type it I just couldn't for some reason. Stupid me! Yeah, I've noticed the whole 'evil people getting better attacks' too! I guess it makes it look like the good guy had to conquer over a lot to win... or something like that. ((Shrugs)) Thank you very, very much for reviewing!  
  
Rurouni Saiyan's note: I find it funny that you said exactly what I was going to do in this chapter. I had planed all along for Neron and Max to lose, but I didn't think about that limit break. Truthfully I've never seen that limit break before, only cause I'm not that fare in the Final Fantasy 7 game yet. ((Sighs)) I really need to get further in that game. I'm missing out on all the good stuff. The whole nailing Riku to the floor thing... not a bad idea. You should really do that. LOL! Anyway, thanks for the review. ((Grins))  
  
MagRowan's note: I'm glad you liked the last chapter. ((Grins)) And I'm really, really glad that you think I'm getting better at catching my spelling. Myself I don't, but I like going with what you say. ((Grins)) I can't believe I missed following... again! I've been working on that one and I'm getting to were I can catch myself...or I was, LOL. As always thanks for checking my horrible spelling and for reviewing. ((Bows head)) I am very grateful.  
  
Two-Step's note: Hi yas!! Two-Step!! I'm glad you liked my Bio. (to others reviewers who like to read other reviewer's notes (like I do): This is one of my friends for school, she told me she was going to find me, and look she did. ((Grins)) Though she could have just e-mailed me cause I know she knows nothing about kh, but oh well.)  
  
Author: I suddenly have a surge of energy. ((Waves the dictionary animefreak321654 gave her with a smile)) Oh, Riku!  
  
Riku: o.O ((Starts to run away but realizes he can't move)) What the? ((Looks down to find his shoe nailed to the floor))  
  
Rurouni Saiyan: ((Runs off laughing with a hammer in her hand))  
  
Sora: Everyone's just against you, Riku. ((Laughs))  
  
Riku: Why me? ((Gets hit in the head with the dictionary)) O.O  
  
Author: It's cause we love you Riku. ((Grins)) ... Whoa! Did you see that? I didn't miss! Go me!  
  
Riku: You just now noticed? ((Rubs head))  
  
Kairi: Riku, I don't think you're in the position to be talking back at Demon right about now.  
  
Sora: She has a point. ((Riku sighs))  
  
Author: Thanks for stopping by, and for all the helpful items, and just cause I love you guys so much, everyone gets a turn at hitting Riku while he's vulnerable. ((Hands out pillows)) Have fun, and remember: it's only a pillow so hit as hard as you like. ((Winks))  
  
Sora: I wanna turn!  
  
Kairi: Me too!  
  
Riku: o.O What? 


	15. Chapter 14

The Darkness Within  
Chapter 14: A Hero's Weakness

* * *

"Meg, your back," Hades exclaimed before he looked around, "And you're river guardian-less. What happened?"   
  
"He made me an offer I had to refuse," Meg said, noticing the God's temper flare.  
  
"Meg, your orders were to get the river guardian to join-"  
  
"I knew what my orders were, Hades," Meg spat, "And if it wasn't for that wonder boy Hercules-"  
  
"Hercules!" Hades screamed.  
  
"Yeah, he came trouncing in with this big bad hero act of his."  
  
"What the heck was he doing there?"  
  
"Beats me," Meg said as she shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"Was there a boy with him?"  
  
"Yeah, but he didn't do much. Then again, the 'hero' wouldn't let him."  
  
"Hmm, I wonder," Hades said as he scratched his chine, turning his back to her. His eyes scanned across a table with a built in map until they reached a small dot, "That annoying goat man must be taking the boy to train at his island... it would explain why they dropped by... considering how close it is..."  
  
"So... I guess Nessus is out of the picture then?" Meg asked as she sashayed over to his map and flicked the little river guardian statue away.  
  
"Once again the all mighty God of the underworld's plan has been foiled by the hero, and his little sidekick," Auron interrupted as he walked into the room.  
  
"Not necessarily," Hades said as he looked at a town on the map, "If the goat man is training the kid then there's a chance that he'll take him out on a little 'hero test run' later, and what better place than Thebes. Auron, I trust you'll be waiting for him there."  
  
"I will?" Auron asked, even if he knew what Hades meant by that.  
  
"Get going Auron! I'll tell you your plan later," Hades growled as he pointed at the door, "And as for you my little Meg, I have other planes for you." Hades turned to Meg and smiled wickedly at her.

* * *

"Uh..." Sora looked on at his new challenge with a questioning gaze, "What am I supposed to do again?"  
  
"Geez, kid! I know you lost your memory, which I wish you would have told me about it before we got to the island, but that doesn't explain the short term memory loss you're having now," Phil sighed as he slapped his forehead, "Make it through the obstacles and rescue the damsel in distress." Sora turned to his obstacle course and caught view of his 'damsel.'  
  
"Looks to me like she's been in distress for a while now," Sora commented a he watched one of her fake eyes swing from a string.  
  
"You're losing points!" Phil shouted, feed up with Sora's stalling.  
  
"Okay!" Sora shouted defensively, "I'm going, I'm going!"  
  
"Oh, and remember hero rule number six!" Phil shouted. Sora paused before he was about to charge into the obstacle course and looked back at Phil in confusion.  
  
"What's rule number six?"   
  
"When rescuing a damsel, always handle with care," Phil answered, "I'll take points off if you drag her along behind." Sora sighed as he shook his head absently.  
  
"I don't see why I need this training," Sora said as he turned to Phil, "I mean I fight just fine... or at least I think I do..."  
  
"Listen here kid," Phil growled as he stomped up to the boy, "Do you wanna be a hero?"  
  
"Well, yeah."  
  
"Then you better start practicing!" Phil shouted as he reached up and poked Sora in the stomach, since he couldn't reach his chest, "Being a hero takes sacrifices and hard work. You just can't say 'I wanna be a hero,' and, boom, your a hero. It takes time kid. Now, I'm gonna ask you again; do you want to be a hero?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Phil asked as he placed a hand to his ear.  
  
"Yes!" Sora shouted as he threw a fist into the air.  
  
"Then get in there and rescue that damsel!"  
  
"Right!" Sora shouted before he ran into the obstacle course.  
  
"You're gonna have to teach me how to motivate him like that," Donald said to Phil.  
  
"Takes a lot of practice, and a lot of lazy wannabe heroes," Phil chuckled as he ran his fingers through his small beard.

* * *

"I really wish you would pick something Neron," Riku said with a heavy sigh as Neron channel surfed on their hotel room TV.  
  
"I'm sorry but I can't find anything."  
  
"I wonder why?" Riku spat, "You're passing by every channel in less than a second. How do you expect to find anything at the rate your going?" Just then there was a knock at their door and everyone, but Max since he was sound asleep in a reclining chair, turned to look at the door. After a few seconds, when nobody bothered to get it, Aerith stood and walked over to the door.  
  
"Hello there," Botan greeted with a smile after Aerith answered the door. Aerith smiled back and then noticed several other people behind her.  
  
"Oh! Hi Botan!" Aerith said, "Um... your friends I assume?"   
  
"Yes, these are my nosey friends," Botan said as she gestured to them, "They wanted to know the other team I was supporting." Botan let out a quick giggle before she leaned in to whisper something to Aerith, "I think they're getting jealous." A short man behind her humped, knowing exactly what she had said.  
  
"Whatever," He muttered under his breath.  
  
"Fine! You just be that way, Hiei," Botan spat as she crossed her arms over her chest, "See if I heal you next time you get hurt."  
  
"You're not the girl who got tossed into the sky, are you?" A teen asked as he pushed past Botan and looked her up and down with his brown eyes.  
  
"...No, that would be Jetta."  
  
"Aerith isn't in the tournament, she's just helping out the team like me," Botan said.  
  
"If she's helping then why do they need you?" The boy asked.  
  
"I'm only lending a helping hand," Botan retorted.  
  
"Right..." the teen said as he entered the room to look around, pushing past Aerith only to get on Cloud's bad side right off the bat.  
  
"You're supposed to be asked to come in first, Yusuke!" another teen out in the hall spat, "And it's not nice to push past ladies."  
  
"Bit me Kuwabara," Yusuke spat.  
  
"Sorry about him," Botan said as she apologized for Yusuke, "He's not always this way... oh what am I saying, yes, he is."  
  
"Would you guys like to come in as well," Aerith offered, and without a word everyone walked in.  
  
"Uh... can we help you?" Neron asked as he looked over at Yusuke. Yusuke walked up to the two sitting on the couch and examined them.  
  
"You two look familiar," Yusuke mumbled.  
  
"Aren't those two of the four you blabbed about the tournament to, Kurama?" Hiei asked.  
  
"Must you keep rubbing that in," Kurama grumbled, "It was an honest mistake."  
  
"You guys don't look like demons," Yusuke said as he looked over the two, "Then again you have an odd hair color." Riku grumbled as the boy, known as Yusuke, started to examine his hair.  
  
"None of them are demons, Yusuke," Kurama said, causing Yusuke to stop his analysis on the two.  
  
"Well, here I was thinking our team was special for being the only team with humans in it," Yusuke said, "Then your team comes along and wins your round, and not one of you is a demon. I think it's safe to say I don't feel as special anymore."  
  
"No offence or anything, but I really didn't expect to see any of you again," Kurama said as he looked around at the group, "But it seems that you found a fifth team member, that's good."  
  
"Yeah, so it would seem," Neron said.  
  
"This Jetta girl, I assume, was the one I spoke with before the boat arrived?"  
  
"The girl with the loud mouth, yep, that would be her," Neron stated.  
  
"So, where is she at?" Kuwabara asked.  
  
"Stupid, she's the one who got thrown," Yusuke spat, "I seriously doubt she'd be up and about after that fall."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Moron," Hiei muttered.  
  
"Got something to say shorty?" Kuwabara shouted, glaring at the smaller man.  
  
"So, not only are you stupid, but you can't hear worth a damn either?" Hiei asked, "Pathetic."  
  
"Come on shorty! I'll fight you right here and now!"  
  
"I'm sorry, but I like fighting people who are worth my time."  
  
"Why you little-"  
  
"Boys! Boys! If you want to fight take it back to your hotel room!" Botan shouted.  
  
"Well, I've come to see what I wanted to see," Yusuke said as he started out the door, stretching his arms high in the air, "Nice meeting ya, and good luck in your next round. I think it's now time for me to get a little shut eye."  
  
"But Yusuke, wasn't that day and a half nap good enough?" Kurama asked.  
  
"Shut up, Kurama," Yusuke grumbled, "Like I said earlier, that Chuu's shouting and yakking woke me up. I could have easily continued sleeping for at least seven or so more hours if it wasn't for him."  
  
"And everything else didn't wake you up?" Hiei spat, "I find that a little hard to believe."  
  
"You know what, Hiei? You can just shut up too," Yusuke spat as he walked out.  
  
"Maybe some beauty sleep will do him some good," Kurama said to Hiei as they both started out of the room.  
  
"Maybe... but I seriously doubt it," Hiei said.  
  
"Me too."  
  
"Hey! You guys! Wait for me!" Kuwabara shouted as he ran out after them.  
  
"Once again I'm sorry for the intrusion," Botan apologized as she bowed her head to Aerith.  
  
"It's okay," Aerith said.  
  
"My magic is starting to return so when Jetta gets up come and get me," Botan said, "Maybe by then I'll have enough to heal her completely."  
  
"Okay," Aerith said, "Thank your for the help Botan, and thank Yukina for me as well."  
  
"Will do," Botan said with a smile before she left, closing the door behind her.  
  
"Well... that was a lively group," Neron commented.  
  
"More like a noisy group," Riku spat before he snatched the remote out of Neron's hand, "Thanks."  
  
"Hey! Give it back!" Neron shouted as he tried to take it from Riku.  
  
"Lay off! It's my turn anyway!"  
  
"Who says?"  
  
"I do!"  
  
"Those two have a lot of room to talk about being noisy," Cloud grumbled sarcastically, causing Aerith to smile at the two.  
  
"I'll tell you one thing though," Aerith said as she looked over at Max, still sleeping in his chair, "I really wish I could sleep through all this noise like Max can."  
  
"Some people are lucky that way," Cloud said with a sigh.

* * *

The next day Sora, Donald, and Goofy were flying over the ocean on Pegasus, heading for a town called Thebes. Phil had decided that after a long day of training, and cramming Sora's brain with every hero rule imaginable, Sora was ready for a real monster, not some fake one. Sora, on the other hand, didn't think it was very wise, considering he didn't remember a single rule. He didn't even think the training did anything for him. All he did was go through obstacle courses, rescue the doll, sword fight with Hercules, and battle the same tomato-spiting dragon well into the night. Not much fun if you asked him. Donald was lucky to get him up this morning, since it was at the ungodly hour of six. Why so early? Why so much training? Why so many stupid hero rules? And why did he have to ride this unsafe flying horse again? Couldn't he take a boat?  
  
Sora mumbled incoherent words as he griped onto Pegasus's neck like his life depended on it, and in a way it did. He was a little nervous, to say the least, thinking that if he fell Donald wouldn't be strong enough to pull him back up, or he'd grab him and then slid off with him. In the case that both feel he was worried Goofy would forget to hold on to Pegasus and all three of them would fall into the ocean and would get eaten by some ocean dwelling monster. Sora's mind then began to race with pictures of big ugly things that could live in the ocean's dark depths that would love to have the three for a snake. The boy's grip on the horse tightened at the thought as he cursed his active imagination.  
  
"Sora," Donald sighed, "If you keep that grip up you're liable to choke Pegasus!"  
  
"Then Pegasus probably would pass out and we'd all fall into the ocean," Goofy added.   
  
"Gah!" Sora then released his grip on the horse, but then realized he wasn't holding on anymore, so he quickly grabbed back onto Pegasus's neck, "Don't say that!"  
  
"Well, it's probably true," Goofy mumbled.  
  
"I wanna be in Thebes now," Sora complained, "On solid ground... where it's safe..." Pegasus gave the boy a snort as he rolled his eyes at him.  
  
"I don't know," Donald muttered, "The way Phil talked about the place you'd think it was a disaster area."  
  
"Anything's safer than riding this thing," Sora spat. Pegasus let out a growl at this comment before he picked up speed, "Gah! What are you doing?"   
  
Once at the speed Pegasus wanted to be at he started to do flips, loops, and cork screws in the air. All three screamed and clutched onto the horse, and onto one another, for dear life. Pegasus slowed down to his normal speed after having his fun, glancing back at the three. He let out a happy chuckle at the sight of the three's surprised faces before he continued on. The rest of the trip was silent.

* * *

Once arriving in Thebes, Sora was more than happy to get off of Pegasus's back. The boy even had to stop himself from kissing the ground, since he was so afraid that he was never going to see it again. Everyone who was walking around on the sidewalk didn't even bother to give the odd group, who had just landed on the flying horse, a second glance, as if it were an everyday thing. As the trio looked around at the city made of stone Pegasus rose into the air and flew off.  
  
"This place doesn't look so bad to me," Sora commented.  
  
"Yeah, it actually looks pretty nice," Donald said.  
  
"Not a disaster area at all," Goody added, just before an odd looking man approached the three. His hair was wild and messy and he only ware what looked like a hollow piece of a stone column that hung from his shoulders by two leather straps. Sora gasped as the man instantly grabbed onto his jacket and pulled him down to his level.  
  
"The end is coming!" The man shouted at Sora's face, "Can't you feel it?"  
  
"Uh..." Sora swallowed hard as the crazy man continued to stare at him with wild eyes, "No, not really..."  
  
"It's coming!" The man shouted, "Prepare yourself for the worst! You've been warned!" With that said the man released Sora and ran off to shout at someone else about the 'end'.  
  
"Maybe this place isn't as good as it seems," Sora muttered as he stood up strait once again, still a little baffled by the man's antics.  
  
"Lets walk around and see if we can't find out anything thing about this place," Donald suggested.  
  
"Good enough for me," Sora said, "But you're dealing with the next crazy person."  
  
After walking around the town aimlessly for what seemed like hours, but was more like twenty minutes, they stumbled onto a conversation between a group of people. At first Sora wasn't interested and started to continue on, but Donald stopped him and pulled him back. The boy sighed and kicked at a rock as Donald and Goofy stuck their noses in the groups business. Sora huffed, remembering Donald telling him not to meddle while at other worlds, and if this wasn't part of meddling then what was?  
  
"I hate living here," A tall lanky woman complained, "I know something's about to happen soon. Something always happens once this place is built back up to looking livable again."  
  
"My guess in some monster will come stomping in to wreck the place," A man said, "It's been a while since a monster has come anyway, and it's probably about time for another one."  
  
"I'm surprised I've lived as long as I have in this disaster of a city," An old man said, "I'm sure me and snowball can't make it much longer if there's another fire." Snowball, a cat covered in black soot with scorched hairs, meowed at the mention of its name.  
  
"I forgot, was the fire before or after the earthquake?" A short pudgy woman asked.  
  
"It was after the earthquake, I remember," the tall woman answer.  
  
"But before the flood," The man added.  
  
"It sounds like they mostly get natural disasters," Sora whispered to Donald, no matter how hard he tried to stop himself he still listened in on the conversation, "How am I supposed to stop that?"  
  
"They're on their own if they wanna stop a natural disaster," Donald whispered back, "We're only here for monsters."  
  
"I'll tell you what though," the tall woman said, "The worst thing so far would have to be these odd black creatures that are showing up all of the sudden."  
  
"I agree," The old man said, "They just keep coming back with even more than before."  
  
"I've even noticed some disappearances," the man said.  
  
"Disappearances?" the two women asked simultaneously.  
  
"Yeah, the owner of the pottery is gone, and a few constructors I work with aren't showing up at work any more," The man explained.  
  
"They could have just moved away," The short woman spat.  
  
"I wouldn't blame them," The other woman added.  
  
"I doubt they moved." Everyone turned to looked at the trio, just now noticing them. Sora stepped forward with Donald and Goofy following along behind him, "What do these creatures look like?"  
  
"They're little black monsters with glowing yellow eyes," the man said, "They walk with their back's hunched, and they have sharp claws."  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure of it now," Sora sighed, "The people most likely didn't move."  
  
"Do you know something about these things that we don't" The tall woman asked.  
  
"Most likely," Sora said looking over at the woman, "You see, these 'monsters' as you call them have a name, and that would be a heartless. They go around and steal people's hearts because they don't have one. The reason you can't get rid of them so easily is because once they take someone's heart that person becomes a heartless as well." Sora was quite proud of himself, to say the least, that he remembered all of that. Then again Donald did pounded in every bit of knowledge he knew about the heartless into his head.  
  
"You seem to know a lot about these... heartless," The man said as he eyed Sora warily, "Did you bring 'em here?"  
  
"No," Sora gasped, "I came to stop them."  
  
"How do we know you ain't lying," the old man spat as he glared at the boy.  
  
"Because I came to stop them!"  
  
"A little runt like you?" The man laughed, "You'll just get yourself hurt."  
  
"No!" Sora shouted, "I can stop them!"  
  
"Just go home kid."  
  
"I'm serious!" Sora yelled, "Tell me where they appear most, I guarantee I can destroy every last one that is there!"  
  
"No way."  
  
"But I-"  
  
"Scram kid!" The man shouted before the four continued on with their lives, forgetting the boy was ever there. Sora growled as he stomped back onto the sidewalk and turned to glare at the four.  
  
"I'll show you! I'll defeat them all!" Sora shouted, "And I'm not a kid!" With that said he stormed off leaving Donald and Goofy to chase after him.  
  
"Kids these days," The old man mumbled, "All wanting to try and be a hero like Hercules."  
  
"Hercules. Now there's a man that can stop those monsters," The tall woman said.  
  
"I wonder where he's been lately," The shorter woman asked. All three gave her a shrug of their shoulders for an answer.

* * *

"This is hopeless," Sora sighed as he sat on the corner of the sidewalk, "How am I supposed to prove myself to this town if something doesn't start attacking?"  
  
"I'm more concerned about the heartless," Donald said, "If they are here, why haven't they attacked you yet? I mean you have the Keyblade, that should be enough to get them out in the open."  
  
"Maybe the heartless really are afraid of me now," Sora said, "They could just be hiding until I leave so they can come out and attack."  
  
"I doubt it," Donald mumbled.  
  
"Well, if it isn't the hero's sidekick." Sora's head snapped up at the sound of a man's voice behind him, "So what are you doing away from the hero, kid?"  
  
"Auron?" Sora asked as he stood as his eyes narrowed, "What do you want?"  
  
"I've got some new orders," Auron answered, "But let's just call it a, small, side mission." Auron pushed his sunglasses further up his nose before he griped the kantana resting on his shoulder with both hands.  
  
"You mean you're after me?" Sora gasped.  
  
"No, I'm after feather boy," Auron spat sarcastically as he motioned toward Donald, "Of course I'm after you!"  
  
"But... I don't understand..." Sora stuttered as he backed away from Auron and into the busy street, "Why is Hades after me now?"  
  
"Apparently you're getting in his way," Auron said with a shrug, "I don't like doing this but it looks like I have to."  
  
"What do you mean?" Sora asked, but he got no reply from the man before he charged at him.  
  
Sora backed away quickly while summoning his Keyblade and blocking Auron's attack. Wagons veered out of the way while drivers cursed at the two fighters in the middle of the street, blocking their way or causing accidents to happen. People on the sidewalks stopped to watch as the two battled in the street. Donald and Goofy, getting left out of the action, pushed their way through the crowd to help Sora out in his time of need.

* * *

"I'm afraid little Sora has to do this on his own," Hades said as he waved a hand into the air, summoning up a heartless army, "That should keep those two busy enough." Meg cringed when many heartless pushed past her as she stood next to Hades in an alley.  
  
"You've yet to tell me what I'm supposed to do," Meg spat as she turned to glare at Hades, "And as much fun as it is standing in a dark, rat infested alleyway, I would really like to get my next job started."  
  
"I need you to keep Hercules away from the boys battle," Hades answered, getting strait to the point, "Just pull him away from the goat man and take him out on a date for the day."  
  
"You're joking right? You know I've sworn off man handling," Meg spat as she glared at him, "I refuse to look like the desperate damsel trying to score one off the hero."  
  
"All I'm asking you to do is keep him busy for the day."  
  
"To bad cause I'm not!" Meg spat before she turned to walk away.  
  
"Look, Meg!" Hades growled through clinched teeth as he grabbed hold of the woman's arm, "If you don't I'm adding two more years to your contract."  
  
"Fine!" Meg shouted, "But I'm not going to like it!" With that said she yanked her arm away from Hades' grasp.  
  
"Good," Hades said with a smile, "Now, Herc and his little goat man are in that building over there, watching the kid from afar. I'll send in some heartless to run them out so you can 'accidentally' run into him while some of the heartless are chasing after you. I'll leave the rest to you."  
  
"Right," Meg growled as she started to walk off.  
  
"Oh and Meg, one more thing!" Meg turned to look back at Hades, "If you don't mind, try and find a weakness in the hero, would ya."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"That's my little minion."

* * *

"Come on Phil! Sora needs my help," Hercules said as he gazed at the battle with intense eyes.  
  
"Not just yet, the kid has some more fight left in him," Phil said.  
  
"But Auron is thrashing him out there!" Hercules shouted, "I'm going!"  
  
"Herc, wait just a few more minutes!"  
  
"Auron is after me Phil," Hercules growled as he turned to Phil, "I can't let Sora get hurt on my behalf."  
  
"...Alright," Phil said with a sigh, "Get in there."  
  
"Thanks Phil," Hercules said as he turned only to find the black creatures they used to fight in the coliseum swarm Sora's battle area.  
  
The hero watched with wide eyes as the town's people fled in fear from the sea of heartless. Soon the heartless started to pour into the building Hercules and Phil were waiting in, immediately heading for the hero. Hercules quickly pulled out his sword and started slaying the creatures in large numbers with every swing of his arm.  
  
"You have to get out of here Phil!" Hercules shouted, "Go to the roof and call for Pegasus!"  
  
"Right," Phil said before he dashed out off the building, knowing Hercules could handle himself.  
  
After slaying every heartless in the building he ran out side to start killing off the ones surrounding Sora, but a woman's scream stopped him. He turned just in time for Meg to run right into his chest. At first Hercules stared down at her dumbly, not believing it was her until she looked up at him with her bright brown eyes.  
  
"Wonder boy!" She gasped, "You just keep showing up at the most convenient times."  
  
"Are you okay Meg?"  
  
"I'm fine," Meg answered before she gasped when a heartless started to scratch at her feet. Hercules noticed this and swatted the heartless away like it was nothing, which it was.  
  
"Go hide where it's safe. I have to go help Sora," Hercules said as he gently pushed Meg to the side.  
  
"Oh, the sidekick?" Meg asked, "What's he doing out there by himself?"  
  
"He's in training."  
  
"If he's training then you really shouldn't help."  
  
"But he's in trouble!"  
  
"He looks like he's doing fine to me." Hercules took another glance at Sora to find he had knocked Auron down and held his Keyblade at the man's throat.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Now that your lackey has things under control," Meg started as she stepped closer to Hercules, "How about we go and take a break from all of this... hero stuff."  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"What? Will the little goat man go brisker if you leave to have some fun?" Hercules took another glance at Sora, seeing Donald and Goofy now had the heartless under control.  
  
"I guess one day off wouldn't hurt."  
  
"That's the spirit," Meg said as she took hold of Hercules's arm, "Let's go wonder boy."

* * *

Sora breathed heavily as he glared at the man with intense blue eyes, his Keyblade still at his throat. With his free hand he wiped a trickle of blood coming from the corner of his lips as he continued to glare at the man. Auron stared up at him with confusion, wondering why the boy hadn't killed him by now.  
  
"I have a question," Sora said after his heavy breathing had died down a little, "What did you mean when you said that you didn't like doing this? Is it because you don't wish to kill?"  
  
"...No... I don't," Auron muttered, "At least I don't like killing off a little boy who has his whole life ahead of him."  
  
"Then why?"  
  
"It's non of your business kid-"  
  
"Why?" Sora asked again as he pressed the Keyblade to his neck.  
  
"I have a contract..."  
  
"With Hades?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What would you get if you killed me?"  
  
"Power, domain, stuff I don't need here."  
  
"And if you kill Hercules?"  
  
"... That's none of your business." Sora sighed as he pulled back his Keyblade and dismissed it.  
  
"Sora?" Donald and Goofy gasped as they watched Auron stand, his kantana in his hand.  
  
"You're a good kid," Auron as he let the kantana rest on his shoulder. He, once again, pushed his sunglasses up and started to walk away, "But I wouldn't start thinking that you've seen the last of me."  
  
"I'm not a kid," Sora growled at the man.  
  
"Feh, whatever you say, kid," Auron turned to smirk at Sora's angry expression before he disappeared into an alley.  
  
"Man, am I glad that's over," Sora said with a sigh as he dropped to the ground, "Good thing I guessed right."  
  
"Guessed right?" Donald asked.  
  
"Yeah. He's a good guy on the wrong side, that's all," Sora said, "I figured that if I let him go, he'd do the same for me. Good thing I was right, huh?"  
  
"Sora, you idiot!" Donald grumbled, "You could have gotten yourself killed with assumptions like that."  
  
"But I didn't," Sora said with a wide grin, "And that's all that matters."  
  
"Sora!" Phil shouted as he flew down on Pegasus's back, "Herc's gone missing."  
  
"What?" Sora asked, not believing his very own ears.  
  
"Everyone get on, I'll take you back to the island and then go look for Herc," Phil said as everyone climbed on, even Sora.

* * *

"Wow, Meg! I had a great time," Hercules said as they walked into a garden just as the stars started to appear in the sky.  
  
"Me too," Meg said with a smile before she remembered what Hades wanted. Her smile quickly faded as she pretended to stumble down some steps.  
  
"Whoa!" Hercules shouted before he caught her, "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine. I just have a weak ankle that's all."  
  
"Here, let me help," Hercules said as he picked Meg up and carried her to a stone bench.  
  
"So do you have any problems like this?" Meg asked as she lifted her ankle, but Hercules only gave her a confused look, "Weak ankles."  
  
"Oh! No, no weak ankles," Hercules answered.  
  
"No weaknesses at all?"  
  
"Uh... no, not that I know of," Hercules said.  
  
"Nothing?" Meg asked as she scooted closer to him, "No trick knee?"  
  
"No, nothing," Hercules said as be backed away at the closeness, not that he didn't like it, he just wasn't used to it.  
  
"You really are a wonder boy then, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess," Hercules said with a light laugh as he walked over to a fountain and picked up a stone. He tossed the stone, making it skip across the water until it hit a statue, succeeding in breaking off the arms. Hercules gasped with wide eyes as he backed away.  
  
"It looks better that way," Meg commented, but all Hercules could do was give her a confused look, "No really, it does." Just then a star shot across the sky, catching the two's attention. Hercules let out a sigh as he smiled up at the sky.  
  
"You know, when I was a boy I'd give anything to be like everybody else."  
  
"You wanted to be petty and dishonest?" Meg asked as she walked away from him.  
  
"Everybody's not like that."  
  
"Yes, they are," Meg whispered as Hercules walked up to her.  
  
"You're not like that."  
  
"How do you know what I am like?" Meg spat.  
  
"All I know is, you're the most amazing person with weak ankles I've ever met," Hercules said with a smile before he continued, "Meg, when I'm with you I don't feel so alone."  
  
"Sometimes it's better to be alone," Meg said as she walked back over to the fountain.  
  
"What do you mean?" Hercules asked as he watched her sit on the fountain's wall.  
  
"Nobody can hurt you," Meg whispered.  
  
"Meg, I would never hurt you," Hercules said as he sat down next to her.  
  
"But I don't wanna hurt you... so..." Meg's sentence started to slow as Hercules leaned in towards her. Just as Hercules was about to steal a kiss from Meg a light from above caused the two to separate and cover their eyes.  
  
"Alright Hercules!" Phil shouted from above, "You've had your fun, now let's get going!"  
  
"Alright! Alright!" Hercules shouted before he picked a flower off of a tree and handed it to Meg. She smiled as she took the flower from the hero, and watched him slowly walk away with his gaze still upon her.  
  
"Chop, chop hero! Lets get moving!" Phil yelled, "I'm very angry at you! This is getting you a thousand laps around the island! You hear me!"  
  
"Who can't?" Sora grumbled as he held his ears.  
  
"Shut it junior hero!" Phil growled, turning his anger to the boy. The horse let out a snort as he took off into the air, not wanting to see anymore of this mushy romance thing between the hero and the woman.  
  
"Somebody must have had a fun day," Sora commented as he looked back at the still dazed hero.   
  
"...Yeah... sure..." Hercules mumbled. Sora could only smile knowing he could take advantage of this.  
  
"Tried to sneak a kiss too," Sora said, "Don't think I didn't see you."  
  
"... Kiss... yeah..."  
  
"Hercules and Megara, sitting in a tree," Sora began to sing once again, "K. I. S. S. I. N. G."  
  
"... Yeah... kiss-" Hercules's eyes snapped open as he glared at the boy, "Sora!"  
  
"First comes love."  
  
"Sora!"  
  
"Next come marriage."  
  
"Stop it!"  
  
"Then there's a baby in the baby carriage."  
  
"Cut it out, Sora!" Hercules said as his face started to turn red, but from something besides anger.   
  
Sora could only laugh at Hercules as he continued to hum the tune to himself but loud enough for Hercules to hear it. Hercules let out a heavy sigh as he let the boy continue his humming, and it wasn't like he wanted to object to the song or anything. Sora, however, noticed Hercules's loss in concern over the song and smiled.  
  
"Finally gave in, huh?" Sora asked, "It's about time."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"It means that you don't mind it anymore cause you want it to happen."  
  
"What?" Hercules shouted from surprise, "I-I do not."  
  
"You stuttered!"  
  
"So!"  
  
"It means you're lying."  
  
"I am not!"  
  
"Are too!"  
  
"Am not!" Phil let out a heavy sigh at the two hoping they would stop soon. All the yelling was giving him one heck of a migraine.

* * *

Meg smiled softly as she twirled the white flower in between her fingers. Something about the hero and his ways made Meg smile, but soon her little quiet moment was ruined by Hades. Meg quickly turned to find Hades rising out of a statue he just melted, a devilish looking smile on his face.  
  
"Hey, my little Meg!" Hades greeted, "So what's the weak link in the hero?"  
  
"I'm through with this!" Meg spat as she glared at the God.  
  
"What? I'm sorry I don't think I heard you right."  
  
"Then read my lips! Forget it!" Meg hissed as she started to walk away, but Hades quickly appeared before her and grabbed her by her chine to force her to look at him.  
  
"Meg, my little minion, aren't we forgetting one little, tiny, itsy, bitsy detail?" Hades asked before he glared at her, "I own you! You work for me! If I say sing you say, 'name that tune,' and if I say I want wonder boy's head on a platter you say-"  
  
"Medium or well done?"  
  
"Not was it was really look for..." Hades muttered.  
  
"I'll work on it."  
  
"Meg? Do you hear that sound?" Hades asked, "Why, I think it's your freedom, fluttering out the window."  
  
"I don't care! I'm not going to help you hurt Hercules!"  
  
"I can't believe you," Hades sighed, "You're getting all worked up over a guy!"  
  
"He's different..." Meg muttered as she turned her back on the God.  
  
"And you're the one who said you wouldn't enjoy yourself," Hades spat.  
  
"Leave me alone Hades!" Meg shouted, "Besides, you couldn't beat him if you tried. Hercules has no weaknesses."  
  
"Oh, I think he does Meg," Hades said as he took the flower from her, "I really think he does."

* * *

Author: Man I surprised myself with this chapter. I started on it the day after I put Chapter 13 up and got half of it done. Go me! The rest I just added when I got the chance. ((Sighs)) Okay, I know I said there was going to be fighting in this chapter, well... I goofed on that. I thought I was going to get to the fighting stuff but I guess I'll get to that later. ((Grins)) This chapter turned out longer than I thought it would be so I had to stop it there.  
  
Riku: That's what they all say. ((Demon glares at Riku)) But I did noticed that you completely ripped everyone off with Sora and Auron's battle. What's the deal with that?  
  
Author: ((Sighs)) Yes, I did, but there's a reason for that, and it will be explained later, possibly in the next chapter.  
  
Riku: In other words, you just got lazy and didn't want to write another fight scene so now you have to think up an excuse for leaving it out.  
  
Author: Did not! I know exactly what I did and why so don't even start with me! ((Glares at Riku)) Don't make me ask Rurouni Saiyan to nail you to the floor again, cause I'm sure she'll be more than happy to. ((Riku mumbles as he shuts up)) That's more like it.  
  
Sora: ((Runs into the room with a pillow)) I heard someone say Rurouni Saiyan! Where is she?  
  
Author: Cool it Sora. Take a chill pill. I'm sure Rurouni Saiyan's sorry about hitting you with the pillow.  
  
Sora: Oh! No, I'm over it. It's just the fact that she hit Kairi, so I'm-  
  
Author: Standing up for your crush? ((Sora blushes as he leaves the room)) That's what I thought. Anyway, here are the notes, and Riku- ((Sees Riku walking out of the room)) Good boy!   
  
Unknown11's note: Hello new reviewer! I'm glad you loved it and I hope you love this chapter too. ((Grins))  
  
Zanisha's note: I'm glad you liked the stealing Keyblade. I figured since he got it from Robin Hoods world and he steals, I mean borrowing, then the Keyblade should do the same. It seemed logical enough. ((Shrugs)) I'm also happy that you think I did a good job on my fighting scenes. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing I did good... and that is wasn't a complete disaster. ((Grins)) Thanks for the review!!  
  
Rurouni Saiyan's note: I hope you're happy I put Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei in this chapter, and I'm sorry Kuwabara was in it, but I had to. Truthfully I don't like him either. He has the most irritating voice I've ever had to listen to in my life. I was really going to just make this chapter with only Sora in it, but I've gotta keep my reviewers happy so, since I got not one but two requests to see Yusuke's group I added in that little scene just for you and Inuyasha's apprentice. Don't you feel special now. ((Grins)) Thanks for your review!  
  
Inuyasha's apprentice's note: I'm so glad you liked my fight scenes, it makes me so happy. ((Bounces around the room)) You people are just so kind to me with the encouraging reviews... ((Sniffles)) I love you people. ((Gets watery eyes)) Like I told Rurouni Saiyan, I was just going to have this chapter being about Sora, since the last one was all about Riku and his gang, but since I got two requests to see Kurama come back into the story, which I don't blame you two one bit, ((Starts to drool)) I put that little scene in just for you two. Don't you feel special now. ((Grins)) I gotta keep my reviewers happy. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
MagRowan's note: o.O You should have hit Riku while you had the chance, but since you'd rather do it when gets an attitude then you can just save the pillow and wait for the right moment. When you do hit him, make sure you knock him good in the head, and then several other times to make sure you get your point across. ((Grins)) I'm glad you think I did Koto's dialog well. I try really hard to getting them as close as they are in the show. I'm happy to know I succeeded on Koto... or came as close as I could. ((Grins)) As always thanks for the spelling corrections and for reviewing. Maybe someday I'll get everything right, just once. ((Laughs)) Thanks again!  
  
Iudex Acerbus's note: Oh wow! Two new reviewers in one chapter! I feel so special. ((Grins)) Hello new reviewer! I'm sorry you don't know much about the Yu Yu Hakusho world, it does kinda help understand worlds better when you know what they are about. ((Pouts)) Maybe the other worlds will make up for this one. Anyway, thanks a bunch for reviewing me! ((Smiles))  
  
Author: I'm so proud of you Riku. ((Pats Riku's head as he glares at her)) You're learning so fast. Here, have a cookie. ((Holds a cookie out for Riku))  
  
Riku: I will not take your stupid cookie! ((Growls)) I'm not your house pet!  
  
Author: But it's chocolate chip with extra chocolate chunks?  
  
Riku: .... ((Eyes the cookie)) NO!  
  
Author: Fine, Sora can have it to share with Kairi.  
  
Riku: No! It's mine! ((Takes the cookie))  
  
Sora: ((Pouts)) Sorry Kairi...  
  
Kairi: It's okay, Sora. ((Pats Sora on the back))  
  
Author: Once again, thank you all for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned to find out what happens in my next, exciting chapter.  
  
Riku: ((Snorts)) Exciting... whatever.  
  
Author: I'll take that cookie away just as fast as I gave it to you if you don't shut up! ((Riku glares at Demon as he walks out of the room with "his" cookie)) 


	16. Chapter 15

The Darkness Within  
Chapter 15: Crash and Burn

* * *

Jetta groaned as she opened her eyes to a dark room. She blinked slowly as she looked around, trying to figure out where she was and why her head was killing her. What did she do to get such an annoying, throbbing pain? She closed her eyes to think about it, but everything seemed fuzzy.  
  
"The fight... I... Oh, my head!" Jetta growled as she brought up her hands to her head. Jetta gasped as her eyes shot open. A sudden pain coursed through her arms like lightning causing her to yell out with an ear-piercing scream.

* * *

"Jetta's up," Neron commented as he continued to flip channels on the hotel room TV.  
  
"Oh no," Aerith muttered as she dashed back to the girl's room. Riku sat up from his uncomfortable position on the couch and watched Aerith leave with sleep-glazed eyes.  
  
"What was that?" Riku asked with a yawn, rubbing his eyes absently.  
  
"Jetta," Neron answered.   
  
Riku looked over at the others left in the room as they did their own thing without a care in the world. Neron was flipping channels with a stupid look on his face, Cloud was sitting by the open window, gazing out a nothing in particular, and Max still slept peacefully in a chair across the room. What an exciting day this was turning out to be. First he comes close to dying and now this little boring event. Yep some day.  
  
"Don't everyone rush to her aid at once," Riku mumbled as he walked out of the room, stopping outside of Jetta's room.  
  
"Aerith," Jetta whimpered, "My arms-"  
  
"I know, I'm sorry," Aerith apologized, "I couldn't find anything to keep them in place. I was hopping I'd find something before you woke up."  
  
"What's wrong with them?"  
  
"You broke them."  
  
"Broke them?" Jetta nearly shouted before she started to whimper again, "No wonder they hurt so bad."  
  
"I know," Aerith said, "I'm going to go get Botan to help heal you a little more, okay. Just stay here and don't move."  
  
"Don't worry, I wont," Jetta muttered before Aerith left the room. Riku watched as Aerith walked off before he entered Jetta's room.  
  
"Hey, Jetta," Riku said softly as he walked up to her bed.  
  
"Hi, Riku!" Jetta said with a small smile, "How are you?"  
  
"Better then you." Jetta couldn't help but crack a smile.  
  
"Everyone's better than me."  
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
"What happened to your arm?" Jetta asked, noticing the bandages under his tank top; she had to resist the urge to point at it.  
  
"Oh, nothing big. Kado just stabbed me, that's all," Riku said, "Can I have a seat?"  
  
"Nothing big?" Jetta questioned, "Are you nuts? That sounds more than nothing! Oh, and yeah, have a seat." Riku faintly smiled at the girl as he took a seat on her bed.  
  
"Okay, so it's nothing much now," Riku admitted, "But I have Botan to thank for that."  
  
"Botan?" Jetta questioned, "Aerith said she was going to go get here. What is it that she can do?"  
  
"Not sure," Riku said, "I think it's a curative spell. I've heard about it before. Yukina and Aerith know how to use it too."  
  
"If Aerith knows it then why does she need to get Botan?"  
  
"Magic only lasts for so long, Jetta. I figured you of all people would know that," Riku spat, "Besides, Aerith used it all up on trying to heal you."  
  
"You mean she used up all of her magic and I'm still in this pitiful state?"  
  
"Not only Aerith, but Yukina too."  
  
"Man..." Jetta whispered as she looked up at the ceiling, "I can't believe I survived that fall. Come to think of it, I don't even remember how I survived."  
  
"You don't remember?"  
  
"No, nothing," Jetta answered, "The last thing I remember was when I started to fall."  
  
"Really?" Jetta gave him a small nod.  
  
"Could you fill me in on the details?"  
  
"Sure. You see I think what you did was you used the air's friction to spark a flame around you. Then once you came into the stadium you used that fire like a rocket and shot back into the arena," Riku said, "I think the main thing that saved you was that you took out Kado and slammed him into the wall, softening your blow."  
  
"Wow! I wish I could remember doing that," Jetta said before she paused briefly, "Oh my gosh! I almost forgot! Did we win?"  
  
"Yep, two to one."  
  
"Who lost?"  
  
"Max and Neron." Jetta smiled.  
  
"I'm gonna have to get onto them about that," Jetta said, "So when's the next round start?"  
  
"What?" Riku asked from surprise, "You're not even healed from the last battle and already you want to start another? I think you hit that wall a little to hard."  
  
"I'm only curious," Jetta laughed, "So when is it?"  
  
"In four days," Riku answered, "They have to fix all the damage. That reminds me..."  
  
"What?" Jetta asked when he didn't continue.  
  
"We can't stay."  
  
"What?" Jetta yelled, "Why not?"  
  
"There are other worlds that need to be saved."  
  
"But what about this world?"  
  
"There doesn't seem to be any heartless here," Riku said, "I think it's safe, for now."  
  
"But what if we wont come back in time for the next round?" Jetta asked, "We'll get disqualified."  
  
"That's a risk we'll have to take."  
  
"What are we going to tell the others?"  
  
"That we're going back to our other camp members," Riku said, "We've already told Cloud and Aerith that so don't worry about it."  
  
"But-"  
  
"We're leaving tomorrow morning," Riku said as he stood.  
  
"Isn't there another way?"  
  
"I'm sorry," Riku said before he left, passing Botan by in the hall. Max watched, now awake, as Riku sat back down on the couch.  
  
"Did you tell her?" Riku gave the dog a head nod, "I guess she didn't take it to well?"  
  
"Not really," Riku answered as he glanced around the room, "Where did Neron go?"  
  
"Said he needed some fresh air," Max said, "I think he's a little disappointed about leaving as well, or at least he seemed that way." Riku frowned as he stood and started to walk out.  
  
"Where are you going?" Max asked, but he didn't get a reply from the boy. Max let out a heavy sigh before he slumped down in his chair.  
  
"What am I supposed to do if you guys don't come back in time?" Cloud asked as he turned his gaze from the window to Max.  
  
"I'm sure we'll be back in time," Max assured, "I mean all we have to do is basically lie to our camp members about where we were, no big deal."  
  
"... You may fool the others with that story, but not me," Cloud spat, "I know you're going to other worlds, I knew it when I saw that Neron kid's weapons. They're Keyblades, and you can't fool Aerith either. We both know about the other worlds."  
  
"W-what?" Max stuttered, "But how-"  
  
"Cause we're both from another world as well."  
  
"But how do you know about the Keyblades?"  
  
"I once knew a boy who had a Keyblade of his own," Cloud said, "I could spot that odd shaped weapon anywhere."  
  
"Are you talking about Sora?"  
  
"... Yeah, how do you know about him?"  
  
"My father's with him and I'm supposed to go out and find him, maybe even help," Max replied, "Have you seen him."  
  
"Last I saw of him was around a year ago."  
  
"That's what everyone's been telling me," Max said with a heavy sigh.  
  
"I'm sure you'll find him." Max turned to smile at the man, but he had already turned his attention back to the window.

* * *

"How are you feeling, Jetta?" Botan asked with a cheery smile.  
  
"I'm okay," Jetta sighed.  
  
"...You don't sound okay," Botan commented, "Is something bothering you." Jetta let out another sigh before she looked up at Botan with sad eyes.  
  
"Riku says we have to go back to out camp members, you know, so they wont start worrying about us. I'm afraid that we're not going to make it back for our next fight, but Riku doesn't seem to care."  
  
"Not even out of bed and you're already wanting to get into another fight?" Botan asked with a smile, "You remind me of Yusuke."  
  
"Who's Yusuke?"  
  
"Oh he's a friend of mine," Botan said with a smile, "He's in this tournament too."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yep, he fought in the first round."  
  
"Oh I saw that one! Which one was he?"  
  
"He fought in the last match-"  
  
"Not the crazy guy with the blue hair, I hope."  
  
"No, no," Botan laughed, "He was the other one."  
  
"He was on Kurama's team."  
  
"You know Kurama?"  
  
"Not really..." Jetta said as she trailed off, "I met him just before we missed the boat. He's really nice."  
  
"Yeah," Botan said, "You need to meet the whole team. I bet you'd get along with some of them quite nicely. To bad you missed them."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Yusuke got all angry at me when he found out I was helping another team and demanded that I took him to see your team. You missed them by about two hours I'm afraid," Botan said, "Myself I'm surprised you didn't wake up while they were here, as loud as they are."   
  
"I'd love to meet them. They sound fun to be around," Jetta said with a smile, "If I ever come back that is." Once again a frown crossed Jetta's face.  
  
"...Turn that frown upside down, Jetta!" Botan said with a grin as she dug around in her pocket, "I know just what'll cheer you up." Jetta gave Botan a curious look as she pulled out what looked like a compact.  
  
"No offence Botan, but I don't ware makeup."  
  
"Oh no, it's not a compact, it's a communication device," Botan said as she sat it on Jetta's nightstand, "All I have to do is call you on it to tell you when the next rounds are about to start."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yep!"  
  
"Oh, Botan, you are the greatest!" Jetta shouted, "If it wasn't for my broken arms I'd hug you about now."  
  
"That reminds me. We better get you healed up," Botan said, "Don't want your little camping buddies getting curious now, do we?"  
  
"No, that wouldn't be very good," Jetta said as she smiled up at the blue haired woman.

* * *

Neron sighed as he sat on the hotel's roof, dangling his feet over the edge. His dark blue eyes were full of misery as he looked out at the setting sun. He let out a depressed sigh as he reached into his pocket. After digging around for a minute, he pulled out a small glass ball, almost the exact color of his eyes, and rolled it around in his hand with a small, empty smile on his face.  
  
-----------------------------  
  
_"Hey champ! Lets see that trophy of yours," A brown haired boy said once he caught sight Neron walking up to them, "I know you wanna show it off."  
  
"Yes, lets see it," A girl said as she turned excitingly to Neron as he sat down next to her, dangling his feet over the edge of the building.  
_  
_"It's nothing much," Neron muttered as he fiddled with the trophy in his hands.  
  
"Nothing much," Another boy, with dirty blonde hair, snorted, "Just gloat about it already, would ya."  
  
"Or are you to afraid that you'll hurt our untalented feelings," The brunet boy commented.  
  
"Oh leave him along Kaden!" the girl spat, "If he doesn't want to gloat he doesn't have to, but if he doesn't let me see that trophy in five seconds he's going to have to deal with a very angry Aiko." Neron laughed lightly at Aiko before he handed her the trophy. Aiko smiled as she gladly took the trophy from his grasp to admire it, her brown eyes glistening from the sun's light.  
  
"Looks a little odd if you ask me," The blonde commented before he snatched it out of Aiko's hands.  
  
"Soren!" Aiko shouted, "I wasn't done!"  
  
"What are the little colorful balls for?" Kaden asked as he poked at one, "Are they removable?" Just then he grabbed hold of the green ball and popped it off.  
  
"I guess so," Soren commented dryly.  
  
"You broke it!" Neron shouted.  
  
"It was removable," Kaden snapped back.  
  
"Anything's removable when you get your hands on it," Soren commented causing Aiko to giggle at the two.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaden shouted, "Are you calling me destructive?"  
  
"If the shoe fits," Soren said before he pulled off an orange ball.  
  
"Hey!" Neron shouted, "Cut it out!"  
  
"I have an idea," Aiko said before she took the trophy away from Soren and pulled off a yellow ball, "We can each have one ball, and they can be a sign of our friendship."  
  
"That's a sissy thing," Kaden commented as he tossed the green ball up in the air a few times, causing Aiko to glare at him.  
  
"Yeah, why not a good luck charm," Soren said as he held his ball out to reflect the rays of the sun, "After all Neron did win this so maybe if we all have one then it'll help us win a trophy too."  
  
"The only trophy you could win would be 'Loser of Twilight Town'," Kaden commented, only to get jabbed in the ribs by Soren. Kaden could only laugh as he scratched at the band around his head, "Maybe you should give him the last ball too, just to make sure he wins something decent."  
  
"Shut up, Kaden!" Soren spat.  
  
"He can't do that," Aiko said as she cut in, "He has to have one too."  
  
"He's got the trophy for crying out loud," Kaden spat, "What more does he need?"  
  
"How about a non-destructive friend," Neron said as he smiled over at Kaden.  
  
"Whatever," Kaden spat, "As far as you know I improved it. They clashed with it anyway."  
  
"You're one to talk about clashing," Soren said as he eyed Kaden's clothes.  
  
"Like you have room to talk, commando," Kaden said as he pulled playfully at Soren's camouflage high waters.  
  
"You two," Aiko laughed as she looked over at Neron, "What are you waiting for, get your charm." Neron smiled at Aiko before he pulled the last ball off.  
  
"Good," Aiko said, "Now we all have a friendship charm, and if any of you lose yours I'm replacing it with your heads." All three boys swallowed heard, knowing she probably would do something like that.  
  
"I though we agreed that a sign of friendship was to sissy?" Kaden stated.  
  
"How about a luck and friendship charm," Neron suggested, "That way everyone can be happy."  
  
"But... it still has friendship in it," Kaden complained.  
  
"Oh shut up Kaden before I give you something important to complain about," Aiko spat as she glared over at the boy, causing the other two blondes to laugh at him.  
_  
---------------------------  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Gah!" Neron shouted as he nearly jumped out of his skin, "Damn it, Riku, don't do that!"  
  
"Sorry," Riku apologized, "I thought you heard me. After all I announced that I found you."  
  
"Oh... well, I didn't hear you then."  
  
"Well...?"  
  
"Well, what?"  
  
"What is that?" Riku asked again as he pointed at the ball in Neron's hand.  
  
"Oh, this?" Neron asked as he held it out for Riku to see, "It's a luck and friendship charm. My other friends from Twilight town have one too... or at least they did."  
  
"It's pretty," Riku commented as he held it up to the sun, making it sparkle.   
  
"Hey, give it back!" Neron shouted as he snatched it from his hand.  
  
"Means that much to you, huh?" Riku asked before he smiled over at the boy, "Did a girl give it to you?"  
  
"No, it came off a trophy I won."  
  
"Really?" Riku asked with a hint of curiosity, "What was the trophy for?"  
  
"An art contest."  
  
"Art?" Riku questioned, "No offence, but you don't look like the art type."  
  
"Would any Keyblade Master look like the art type to you?" Neron asked as Riku fell silent, "I rest my case."  
  
"So what won it?"  
  
"A painting of my friend Aiko," Neron said, "It was one of my best works. I painted her sitting under the shade of a tree in a big open field at sunset. I was even impressed with it myself cause her eyes look so... really."  
  
"So there is a girl?" Neron's face faltered as he turned to Riku.  
  
"She's my friend!"  
  
"Sure," Riku said without the slightest bit of belief in his voice.  
  
"You just think what you want to Riku," Neron spat, "I know the truth, and that's all that matters." Riku fell silent for a moment before he decided to speak up again.  
  
"I'd like to see you draw something sometime."  
  
"I'd love to draw for you, if only I had some paper and a pencil," Neron let out a heavy sight, "Man, I'd kill for my sketchbook about now. I've seen so many things that I could have sketched so far. If only I had my sketchbook, then I'd never forget any of these adventured."  
  
"I doubt you will, but I guess it would be easier to remember if you painted a picture of it in you mind and on paper," Riku said as he turned his gaze to the almost set sun, "So where did you say you were from again?"  
  
"Twilight Town."  
  
"Oh right, you told me that," Riku said with a light laugh at his stupidity, "Does it have a reason for being called that?"  
  
"Yeah, the sun never sets, it's always... well, twilight."  
  
"I guess you really miss it, huh?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, here you are on the roof of the hotel, waiting for twilight I assume." Neron couldn't help but faintly smile.  
  
"I guess I seem a little pathetic then, don't I?"  
  
"I don't blame you," Riku said, "I really miss my home too. Seeing this sun set is just a treat for us both."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"I lived on an island, and everyday I would watch the sun go down on the water like this with my friends."  
  
"I guess we're both pathetic then, huh?" Neron said as he chuckled lightly.  
  
"I guess so," Riku said with a small smile.

* * *

"Auron! What a wonderful performance." Hades clapped as Auron walked in, "I give it two thumbs way up for the believable looking loss. You should go into acting."  
  
"I don't like losing on purpose, Hades, so that's the only time I'm doing something like that ever again," Auron growled.  
  
"That's perfectly understandable," Hades said, "Nobody likes to lose, but I do thank you for keeping the little brat occupied while Meg snuck Hercules out of there. It was a real big help."  
  
"Yeah... whatever," Auron muttered, "Now, if you have nothing else for me to do, I think I'll take my leave."  
  
"I have a question," Hades said, stopping Auron before he got the chance to leave, "I noticed you told a little too much to the kid. Why would you do something like that?"  
  
"The boy asked a question, I simply answered."  
  
"You told him about the contract though."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Could it be that you told him in hopes he would help you get your heart back without having to go through with the contract?"  
  
"I don't need help from a little boy!" Auron spat.  
  
"But what about the hero?" Hades asked, "Maybe you thought Hercules could help you so you told the boy thinking he'd tell the hero."  
  
"I don't need help from anyone Hades! If anybody's going to get me out of this contract it's going to be me cause I was stupid enough to agree with it in the first place!" Auron shouted.  
  
"Have it your way," Hades said as he watched Auron walk out.  
  
"What's his problem?" Meg asked as she walked in.  
  
"It's nothing," Hades muttered.  
  
"So you wanted to see me?" Meg asked.  
  
"Yes, my next plan is ready for action," Hades said as he stood from his chair with a smile, "Lets get going my little Meg."

* * *

Riku leaned against the boat railing with his head in his hands as he looked out at the rough waters. With a heavy sigh he turned to look at his fellow comrades. He was instantly hit with a wave of sympathy as he watched Max at the other side of the boat, bent over the railing, ready to puke, and a little green in the face. He turned to Neron and watched as he tried to lean against the ship captain's room, but the boat was tossing around so much that it was hard for him to keep his balance; Riku tried not to laugh at this sight.  
  
Then Riku's eyes fell upon Jetta, her back turned to everyone as she leaned against the railing at the ship's stern. Riku frowned thinking the girl was still mad at him for making her leave, so he casually walked up to her. Jetta turned to Riku with a questioning look as he leaned up against the railing right beside her.  
  
"Are you still mad at me?" Riku asked, getting strait to the point, causing Jetta to blink a few times at him before it hit her.  
  
"Mad at you?" Jetta asked with a slight giggle, "No, no. I'm not mad at you anymore. What gave you that idea?"  
  
"Well, you were over here all by yourself," Riku answered, "I thought you might have been ignoring me or something."  
  
"What? Just cause I'm not at your side every waking hour of the day doesn't mean I'm mad at you. People need their space you know," Jetta said before she looked back out at the ocean.  
  
"Is that a hint for me to leave?"  
  
"Oh, no. Sorry, just trying to make it a statement," Jetta laughed sheepishly, "I didn't mean it that way." Riku simply smiled at her before another question popped into mind, causing his expression to change into a serious one again.  
  
"Why aren't you mad at me anymore?" Riku asked, confused at how she got over it so fast.  
  
"Oh!" Jetta exclaimed before she pulled the communicator Botan had given her out of one of her many pockets, "Botan gave it to me. It's a communicator. She said she'd call when the tournament started back up again; that way we can come back on time."  
  
"Were you going to tell me about this?" Riku asked, eyeing Jetta suspiciously.  
  
"Of course I was," Jetta laughed, "I just didn't remember it until now." The two fell silent, and after a moment or two Riku was catching Jetta stealing glances at him.  
  
"What do you keep looking at?" Riku asked, causing the girl to blush.  
  
"It's stupid, really," Jetta muttered.  
  
"About me?"  
  
"Uh... kinda..."  
  
"What is it?" Riku watched as Jetta looked around at anything but him as she tried to avoid the question.  
  
"So what kind of world do you think we will be going to next?"  
  
"Jetta," Riku growled, "Answer the question."  
  
"Well... okay, but it's stupid-"  
  
"We went over that, Jetta."  
  
"Is that really your natural hair color?" Jetta asked quickly.  
  
"W-what... oh," Riku began to chuckle at the girl before he turned to look out at the ocean.  
  
"Well...?"  
  
"Yeah, it's natural."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah," Riku said as he gave her a questioning glance, "Why?"  
  
"I've just never seen anyone with silver hair... well, a young person with silver hair, old people don't count. After all my grandmother- Never mind. I'm just rambling now."  
  
"So I noticed." Jetta couldn't help but lightly laugh.  
  
"Then stop me next time."  
  
"Okay, anything to get you quiet-"  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"I'm only joking," Riku said as he backed away, holding his hands up in defense, "Don't take it so personal." Jetta growled before she leaned against the railing once again.  
  
"Anyways... This is another stupid thing, but I want to call you silver now, cause of your hair."  
  
"What?" Riku laughed, "You're joking, right?"  
  
"No, I'm dead serious."  
  
"What's wrong with my real name?"  
  
"Nothing, I just like giving people nicknames," Jetta said, "So can I call you Silver?"  
  
"What if I don't like that nickname?" Jetta let out a heavy sigh.  
  
"It doesn't matter cause I'm gonna call you Silver anyway."  
  
"Then why did you ask if you could?"  
  
"To be nice."  
  
"Fine. You just be that way, Copper."  
  
"Copper?" Riku smiled as he took a lock of her hair in his hand, "My hair isn't copper."  
  
"Yeah, and mine isn't silver," Riku said sarcastically.  
  
"Whatever, Silver."  
  
"Okay, Copper." The two smirked at each other as the boat came to a stop.  
  
"I call shotgun!" Jetta shouted as she ran off the boat, causing the other two boys to sigh.  
  
"That's not far!" Neron shouted, "I haven't got to ride up front yet!"  
  
"You snooze you lose," Jetta said with a smile.

* * *

"Okay, lets get going," Max said as he started the Gummi ship.  
  
"Um... Max?" Jetta asked, giving the dog a skeptical look, "Are you sure you're up to it, I mean you still look a little pale."  
  
"Well, nobody else can fly a Gummi ship, so I guess it'll have to be me."  
  
"You can teach me," Jetta said with a smile.  
  
"Hell no!" Neron shouted from the back, "Putting her at the wheel is like a death wish for us all."  
  
"Oh shut up, Neron, like you could do better!" Jetta huffed.  
  
"I can drive it," Riku said, popping into the conversation.  
  
"Really?" Max asked, in a non-believing way, "Then what is this button for?"  
  
"Turbo," Riku answered without hesitation before Max pointed to another one, "Activating the shield." Riku then stood behind Max's seat and started to point at buttons himself.  
  
"That one in for missiles. That's for warping. This is for casting out the arms to grab useful items floating around, and that's-"  
  
"Okay, you've proven yourself, but do you know how to drive it, right?" Max asked.  
  
"Of course I do, all you need to do is turn the wheel, I mean it's not like it's the hardest thing in the world to do," Riku commented.  
  
"Okay," Max said as he stood from the seat. Jetta and Neron both gave Riku a worried glance before they buckled up quickly.  
  
"You act like I'm going to kill you," Riku laughed as he put the ship into gear.  
  
"Knowing what the ship can do and driving it are two completely different things," Jetta spat, "I think we should wait for Max to get feeling better before we leave. That way he can drive."  
  
"I second that!" Neron said.  
  
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Riku assured before they zoomed off into space, much faster than what Max would have done.  
  
"I'm now wishing I never called shotgun," Jetta muttered as she clung to her seat for dear life.  
  
"I'm not that bad," Riku growled as he shot Jetta a glare from the corner of his eye.   
  
All three squirmed uncomfortably in their seats as the Gummi ship whizzed past many objects, missing them my inches and some maybe even centimeters. The worst of the three was Jetta, by far, since she was up front and center and could see everything that Riku dodged. Each object they passed Jetta would let out a small noise of discomfort, close her eyes, or winching at the closeness.  
  
"Would you cut that out," Riku growled, dodging another rock.  
  
"I can't help it!" Jetta spat, "Maybe if you'd slow it down and get some distance between the rock and the ship I'd feel a little better!"  
  
"I don't see what's you're problem, I mean it's not like I've hit anything yet," Riku muttered, "I told you I know what I'm doing." Jetta simply flinched in her seat when they passed another rock.  
  
"Exactly when was the last time you flew one of these?" Jetta asked.  
  
"Well, I was stuck in Kingdom Hearts for a year, remember?"  
  
"Oh God, save me," Jetta moaned, bringing a hand up to rub her temples, only to be clutching the seat a moment latter when Riku dodged another floating rock.  
  
"You're going to fast." Max stated from the back seat.  
  
"You heard him, slow down!"  
  
"Leave me alone I know what I'm doing!" Riku shouted as he turned to glare at Jetta.  
  
"Riku!" Neron shouted from the back seat. Riku did a sharp turned, hitting the wing against a rock causing the ship to do a flip before it returned to its normal course.  
  
"I think I'm going to be sick," Max commented as he held his stomach.  
  
"Please be sick in the other direction," Neron said as he tried to scoot away from Max.  
  
"Eek! Riku! Look out!" Jetta screamed as he just barely missed another rock, "Keep your eyes in front of you at all times please!"  
  
"I know what I'm doing!" Riku spat, just barely missing another rock, swerving through space at a fast speed, missing other rocks by mere inches.  
  
"Riku, please slow down," Neron muttered, "I think it would make us all feel a little better about this trip."  
  
"Seriously, Riku, slow down, I think that's a world," Jetta said, panic in her voice, but he didn't slow down, "Riku, slow down!"  
  
"I know what I'm doing!" Riku growled as he slowed the ship down, but not enough. Riku continued to slam on the break but now the world's gravitational pull already had the ship in its grasp.  
  
"We're gonna crash!" Neron shouted before everyone braced themselves for an impact with the peaceful looking world.

* * *

Sora sighed as he sat on a rock, looking out at the ocean, with his head in his hands, as he tried to ignore Hercules rant about his day with Meg. Surprisingly he was able to completely zone him out as he watched the ocean's water ripple and sparkle with reflections of the stars high in the sky. Something about the ocean just easing his mind and relaxed him. He would bet anything that if the world was about to explode he wouldn't know about it or wouldn't care cause he was to busy staring out at the water.  
  
"What's up with Sora?" Donald asked as he looked from the boy to his odd companion Goofy.  
  
"Beats me," Goofy answered with a shrug.  
  
"I'll be darned if I have to listen to this hero one more minute talk about this Meg girl," Donald said irritably as he tapped a webbed foot, "After all Sora was the one who was bugging him about when they arrived, and when the hero finally opens up Sora doesn't wanna hear about it."  
  
"Maybe he remembered something, and is just concerned about it for the moment," Goofy suggested.  
  
"He doesn't look like he's in deep concentration," Donald said, letting out a low growl, "I should zap him and force him to listen to Hercules."   
  
"Don't do that," Goofy said as he placed a gloved hand on Donald's wand, "Let's just leave him alone. Somethin' could be bothering him and you might just make it worse."  
  
"Whatever..." Donald muttered as he walked off. Goofy took one last look at the boy before he followed the duck out of the training part of the island and into Phil's house to rest. Phil caught sight of the two leaving and smiled thinking it was a good idea as well.  
  
"Hey Herc!" Phil shouted as he looked back at the hero, "As much as I wanna hear about your day slaking off, I think I'm gonna go hit the hay. I'm bushed."  
  
"Sure thing Phil," Hercules said as he continued to lift waits, his smile never leaving his face, "I'm gonna continue working out a little more before I call it a night."  
  
"Okay," Phil said as he turned to walk away, a bright smile on his face knowing he finally got away. Hercules looked around for anyone else he could talk to and eventually found Sora sitting on a rock at the edge of the island.  
  
"Is something bothering you, Sora?" Hercules asked as he looked over at the boy, but he didn't reply, "Sora?" Hercules dropped his set of waits and started to walk over to the boy, but Hades appeared before him in a puff of black smoke.  
  
"Hades," Hercules growled, "I don't have time for you so why don't you just leave."  
  
"Don't worry, I'm a real fast talker so I'll be out of your hair in a second," Hades said as he approached Hercules, "You see I've got this little plan... but lets call it a real estate deal, and you see you somehow manage to constantly get in my why."  
  
"I've done nothing to you," Hercules spat, "What are you taking about?"  
  
"Look, just hear me out okay," Hades said as he draped a arm across Hercules's shoulder, "So I was thinking that maybe you could take the day off, you know, so I can finish this real estate deal."  
  
"I don't think so," Hercules said as he pushed Hades' arm off of his shoulders and started to walk away.  
  
"Not so fast," Hades said as he grabbed Hercules by the arm, "You see, I was expecting you to say something like that, so I brought along someone that might change your mind." Hercules gave Hades a confused look as he snapped his finger, causing Meg to appear before him.  
  
"Meg!" Hercules shouted as he ran to her.  
  
"Don't listen to-" Meg's sentence was cut short by a smoke like substance wrapping around her body and covering her mouth. Just as Hercules reached her she disappeared in a flash, after Hades snapped his fingers yet again.  
  
"Let her go!" Hercules shouted as he turned to the God.  
  
"Here's the deal: You give up your powers for... the next twenty-four hours, and Meg will be set free."   
  
"People are going to get hurt aren't they?" Hercules asked.  
  
"No way... but you know how it is with people, there's always a possibility of them getting hurt. It happens every day, it's a normal thing," Hades said as Meg appeared again, still captured by the smoke, "But what do you owe these people? Isn't Meg more important?" Hades then grabbed Meg by her chin and forced her to look at him.  
  
"Stop it!"  
  
"Isn't she?" Hercules paused as he thought about this, giving the God a skeptical look.  
  
"You have to swear that she'll be safe from any harm," Hercules said.  
  
"Fine. Fine. Meg stays safe otherwise you get your powers back … blah, blah, blah … then the fine print-" Hades rambled as he walked up to Hercules, "Do we have ourselves a deal?" Hades extended his hand for Hercules to shake it, but the hero still didn't seem convinced as he looked back at Meg to find her shaking her head at him.  
  
"Look! I don't have time for this," Hades spat, "Going once. Going twice-"  
  
"Okay," Hercules said as he extended his hand.  
  
"Yes! It's a deal!" Hades shouted as he gladly took the hero's hand. A blue light radiated from their hands as Hercules's power were being drained from his body.  
  
"Hercules!" Sora shouted as he ran up to the two, just now realizing the God was here.  
  
Sora growled at the man as he summoned his Keyblade, preparing to battle. Before Hades had the chance to turn and dismiss the boy, Sora's Keyblade came flying at his head. The God managed to duck out of harms way as the Keyblade continued to spin over his head, blowing out his flame.  
  
"This is a grown up matter, brat!" Hades shouted, angry that his flaming hair had been blown out, "Why don't you be a good little boy and stay out of it!"   
  
Hades' arms turned into smoke as he picked up the set of waits Hercules was using and tossed it at the boy. Sora gasped as the workout equipment slammed into his chest and pinned him to the ground. His Keyblade came soaring back but since Sora wasn't able to catch it it slid across the ground, stirring up some dust.  
  
"Sora!" Hercules shouted as he stood from the ground but stumbled a bit.  
  
"You man feel a little queasy, but don't worry it's how your supposed to feel now... weak and helpless," Hades said with a grin as he walked over to Meg, "Meg, a deal is a deal. You're free." With that said the smoke around her body vanished.  
  
"Isn't Meg just a fabulous little actress?" Hades asked as he pulled her off the ground.  
  
"Stop it!" Meg spat as she tried to push away from him.  
  
"What do you mean?" Hercules asked.  
  
"You see, Meg here was working for me all along," Hades said as Meg finally pushed free from his grasp.  
  
"No! I didn't mean to... I-I ... I'm so sorry," Meg whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek as Hercules turned his back to her.  
  
"Well, this is all lovely but now that the preliminary are over with, I'm onto the main even!" Hades shouted with glee as a chariot being pulled by a black dragon appeared.   
  
Without another word he flew off leaving a heart broken hero and damsel, a Keyblade master pinned under a barbell, and three of their friends who have no idea what was happening just outside. Hades grinned, baring all of his pointed teeth knowing nothing in the world could stop him now, not even his dear brother Zeus.

* * *

Sora: Man, Riku, you suck at driving. ((Laughs))  
  
Riku: ((Glares)) Hey, you crashed into deep jungle on the game.  
  
Sora: ((Shocked)) That was purely accidental. Wait... How'd you know about that?  
  
Riku: I was in the game, I know everything that happened. ((Turns and glares at Demon)) I can drive better than that I have you know!  
  
Kairi: Apparently you can't in this story. ((Giggles))  
  
Author: Okay, the reason why I didn't describe the battle was because Auron wasn't even fighting at his best because he was supposed to lose on purpose. So I figured that since Auron wasn't at his best then it was kinda pointless to show the battle... then again that could just be me...  
  
Riku: I think it's just you. ((Demon glares at Riku))  
  
Author: If you didn't notice my new improvement, I have now made flashbacks in _italic_ form. Yay! Just cause it looks cool. That mean I'm gonna have to go back and turn Sora's flashbacks into _italic_ as well...but that's okay... I don't mind. Hey that's fun! _Italic!_ ((Grins)) Anyway, once again I have Riku and the others going to a new world, and you know what that means-  
  
Sora: Cookies!  
  
Kairi: Cookies? o.O  
  
Author: That's right Sora, it's time to play "Guess that world" for more cookies. Yay! So since I really didn't say much about the world Riku's going to, and it wouldn't really be fare to make you guess without knowing anything, I'll say a little bit about it. History question! Okay, so when Columbus first reached America, he found what kind of people? Now forget Columbus, cause he has nothing to do with it, and guess from there. Mind you that this is a Disney world. ((Grins)) Now with that information, guess away!  
  
Sora: Oh! Oh! Demon! Can I read the notes?  
  
Author: Sure thing Sora. ((Hands Sora the notes)) You know the rules Riku. ((Riku walks out of the room))  
  
Iudex Acerbus's note: Yay! I'm glad you thought the last chapter was great. Myself I though it wasn't one of my best chapters but whatever you say. I'm taking your word for it. As for the Dark Tournament thing they will be returning later, but maybe I can help you a little. The main reason all these demons are fighting in the tournament is for a big huge prize, which will be explained later on. Mainly it's just the prize they are all after. Not a very good explanation I know, and I'm sorry about that. ((Pouts)) I'll be explaining a few more things the next time they visit so maybe it might help a little. Anyway thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ((Grins))  
  
Kajeth's note: Hi yas new reviewer! ((Laughs)) I really wish I was a game designer for KH2. That would be loads of fun, but I'm not. I'm only a fan writing a story based off the game... that doesn't belong to me, but I'm sure I've cleared that up by now. I'm glad you like it so far, and thanks a ton for reviewing. ((Grins))  
  
Zanisha's note: o.O 20 rides with only 5 hours of sleep. I wouldn't be able to take it. I love to sleep, heck, I live to sleep. ((Grins)) But it does sound like you had loads of fun. Man, I feel like I'm in a roller coaster every time I'm in my crazy computer chair too. If you lean back to far in it it'll let gravity take hold... and that's not much fun. I know that happens with every chair but mine you're supposed to lean back in it and the wheels will stay on the ground... but not every time. Amazingly, being the klutz I am, I've only fallen once. Go me! Myself it's been about... two days since I've seen a Disney movie, considering I watch them, sometimes more than once, to get things ready for up coming chapter. You'd be amazed to see how long my notes for this story are on this computer. ((Grins)) Anyway, I'm glad you're liking it and thanks a bunch for reviewing.  
  
Rurouni Saiyan's note: You have a point there about hitting Sora, so I'm not gonna stop you. Myself, I don't hit him because he's nice to me, unlike some people.... ((Cough)) Riku! ((Cough)) Oh, and you're welcome for putting in the detectives. It was no problem whatsoever. ((Grins)) Yes Kurama is a cutie all right, and even cutter in his Yoko Kurama form. ((Drools)) I love the ears, I wanna go up to him and touch them... ((Grins)) So, anyways, thank you very much for reviewing.  
  
Sora: ((Walking around the room dazed from getting hit one to many times)) ....O.O Pretty stars...  
  
MagRowan's note: Oogie Boogie! Yay! He's the coolest, with his big bad redneck accent. ((Laughs)) o.O I would have done something with those two as well, but I don't know, I have a high tolerance level so maybe I could stand it... for and hour or two... ((Grins)) I always like the things you say. It gives me a big boost on my spelling self-esteem. I think I'm gonna go back and check everything you've corrected this week... ((Looks at the list of words)) This may take a while.... but I can do it. ((Grins)) Once again thanks a ton for helping with my spelling mistakes and for reviewing.   
  
Author: You should listen to MagRowan more often Riku. She has smart things to say like: I'm the AUTHOR of this story.  
  
Riku: ((Snorts)) Author... yeah... whatever. ((Gets hit in the head with a pillow)) Cut it out! ((Gets hit again)) How am I even supposed to listen to what MagRowan has to say if you wont let me even read the reviews now cause you're afraid I'll do something to them as well? ((Brings up his hands to block the next attack but Demon doesn't hit him)) o.O  
  
Author: I can't believe I'm about to say this but... you have a point.  
  
Sora and Kairi: o.O ((Gasps)) Riku made a point?  
  
Riku: ((Sweatdrops)) You make it sound like such a big deal. It's not like I haven't done it before.  
  
Author, Sora, and Kairi: When?  
  
Riku: ... Never mind...  
  
Author: Since you have a good point, I have come to the conclusion that you may read MagRowan's reviews, for learning purposes only. At that time you shall be heavily guarded by me, Sora, Kairi, and Shoyru.  
  
Riku: That stupid, dragon stuffed animal?  
  
Author: HE'S NOT STUPID!!! ((Slaps him up side the head)) So shut up! You'll hurt his feelings!  
  
Sora and Kairi: Yeah Riku!  
  
Riku: o.O You people are nuts. ((Walks out of the room))  
  
Author: GOOD! GO! ((Clears throat)) Thanks for stopping by my wonderful reviewers. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again. ((Grins as she waves good-by)) 


	17. Chapter 16

The Darkness Within  
Chapter 15: Call of the Gods

* * *

"Oh... my neck," Jetta moaned, "Man... That was some whip lash of a landing."  
  
"Is everyone okay?" Max asked.  
  
"I'm still alive so I guess that's a good sign," Neron said.  
  
"Speak for yourself."  
  
"Shut up, Jetta!"  
  
"How about you, Riku? Are you okay?" Max asked, only receiving a gasp from Jetta.  
  
"He's gone!" Jetta shouted as she continued to stare at the empty seat.  
  
"What?" Both Neron and Max shouted as they unbuckled and ran up to the front.  
  
"Oh shit!" Neron cried as he looked at the broken window, "I hope he's okay..."  
  
"He must not have been buckled in good," Max said as he examined the seat.  
  
"We have to go find him," Jetta said as she unbuckled and made her way to the door, "Come on you guys lets-"  
  
"What's wrong?" Neron asked as he walked over to the open door to see what Jetta was looking at.   
  
Outside of the Gummi ship stood over twenty people with dark tanned skin and black hair, and all of them starred at the ship in pure amazement. Some people where hidden in the stalks of corn that surrounded the area the Gummi ship had crashed in and were hard to see. Neron, Jetta, and Max stood in the doorway of the Gummi ship and watched as the people around them whispered amongst themselves. Only moments later did a tall man with feathers in his hair appeared from behind the people, and once he presence was known all talking stopped.  
  
"You three," The man said with a thundering yet peaceful voice as he pointed at the teens, "Did you come in this... vessel?"  
  
"Um... yes..." Max answered. The man tilted his head slightly to one side as he examined them before he turned to the people.  
  
"Our prayers have finally be answered," He said as his arms rose into the air, "These people that have fallen from the heavens in this otherworldly vessel have clearly proven themselves to be the Gods we have been calling for help." This sent all the people into a frenzy of whispers and gasps as they looked up at the teens.  
  
"He thinks we're Gods?" Jetta asked Neron in a hushed voice.  
  
"I guess..." Neron trailed off when he noticed the man was walking up to them.  
  
"I thank you three for coming, though I only asked for the help of Dayunsi," The man said, "Forgive me but I do not know which one of you is Dayunsi." The three stood there for a moment not knowing what to do until Jetta gave Neron a shove with her elbow.  
  
"Play along," Jetta whispered to him as she pushed him again. Neron looked back at her with a confused expression but stepped forward.  
  
"That would be me," Neron said as he slowly walked forward causing everyone behind the man to bow down to him.  
  
"Ah... Dayunsi, the God of creation, forgive me for I always pictured you to be... older looking," The man said as he bowed down at Neron's feet.  
  
"Uh... it's okay..."  
  
"May I ask you one more question?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Why do you have the form of a child?" Neron froze as he tried to think of something... anything, but his mind was running a blank.  
  
"We had to take these forms," Jetta said as she walked up to Neron's side, "For you see a God's mystery is in the appearance, and we do not wish to show our true forms. Another reason is that if we were to come in our true forms we'd stick out much to easily."  
  
"I see," The man said as he stood, "You must be Shakaru, goddess of the sun. You're odd red hair resembles the flames of the sun."  
  
"...Uh... Yeah, that would be me," Jetta said with a smile, ignoring the smirk on Neron's face.  
  
"Which God might you be?" the man asked as he looked over at Max, "Perhaps a transforming God? What are your abilities?" Max quickly thought up the first magic attack he could think of and went from there.  
  
"Thunder," Max replied.  
  
"Haokah?" The man said as he tilted his head to one side, "That is an odd form you have chosen, but I respect your creativity."  
  
"Um... thank you."  
  
"So Shakaru, where is Pah?" The man asked as he looked over at Jetta, "He's normally with you."  
  
"Pah? Yes, he came as well, it's just..." Jetta looked back at the Gummi ship, "He got thrown from our vessel when we landed-"  
  
"You mean crashed," Neron corrected.  
  
"Whatever!" Jetta spat.  
  
"I'm sure he can't be far away," the man said, "I'll send as many of my people as I can to search around the corn field for him."  
  
"About that," Jetta said as she scratched the back of her head, "Is this corn field yours?"  
  
"Yes, it is."  
  
"Sorry about taking out a section of it," Jetta apologized, "It was Ri- Pah's fault."  
  
"It's okay, we have more than enough corn to go around," The man said with a smile, "If you wouldn't mind following me I'll take you to the village so we can discuss what is going on."  
  
"Um ...uh..." Jetta paused when she didn't know the man's name yet, so she resorted to pointing at him.  
  
"Chief Powhatan."  
  
"Right, Chief Powhatan. I would like to join the search for Pah if you don't mind."  
  
"Not at all. I understand completely," The Chief said with a smile, "Join us at my hut when you find him."  
  
"Will do," Jetta said with a smile as she ran off into the cornfield, followed by several people to make sure she didn't get lost.

* * *

Riku sat up slowly with a groan as he shook the grass out of his hair. He mumbled incoherent words and cursed himself mentally for not stopping sooner, but soon just blamed it on the Gummi ship because the one he drove a year ago could stop on a dime. Looking around at his surroundings, he found out that he had landed in a cornfield. Riku faintly smiled at the thought of Neron saying something like 'well at least it isn't a forest' as he stood. Wait, where was Neron? Where were the others? Where was the Gummi ship?  
  
"Was I thrown out?" Riku muttered as he rubbed his head before he started to look himself over for any misshapen body parts or gushing blood. He knew nothing was broken, cause he didn't feel that bad, but he did find several cuts, some pretty deep, but nothing too serious.  
  
He dug around in his pockets for anything that might heal him, like a potion, but came up empty handed. With a heavy sigh he stood figuring he should go hunt for the others; Jetta was bound to have some kind of potion in one of her many colorful pockets. Without another word, but many grumbles and grunts of displeasure, Riku started his venture through the tall stocks of corn.  
  
"This is great," Riku mumbled, after several minutes of walking around, before he dropped to the ground with a thump, afraid that if he walked even further he'd never find his way out. A few minutes later he heard the fait sound of footsteps. Slowly he stood and looked around until finally he saw Jetta walking through the corn, just then spotting him.  
  
"Ri- Pah!" Jetta shouted with a smiled as she ran to him and wrapped her arms around his torso in a big hug, "You're okay... uh... somewhat." Jetta pulled away quickly after realizing he was bleeding.  
  
"I wish you would have warned me first," Jetta mumbled as she looked down at Riku's blood on her shirt before she reached into a pocket, "I think you need this."  
  
"Thanks Jetta," Riku said as he took the potion but immediately got his mouth covered by Jetta's hands.  
  
"Shut up," Jetta hissed, "You'll ruin everything." Riku cocked an eyebrow at the girl as she removed her hand.  
  
"What?" Riku asked as soon as he was free to talk.  
  
"Just drink the potion okay." Riku continued to look at the girl with a slightly confused expression as he drank the potion.  
  
"Shakaru, is that you? Did you find Pah?" A woman's voice asked as she walked up to the two.  
  
"Yes, and yes," Jetta answered, succeeding in confusing Riku even more.  
  
"Pah, it's good to see you," The woman said as she dropped to her knees and bowed to Riku.  
  
"Um... I think you have the wrong guy."  
  
"What?" the woman asked as she looked up at Riku. Jetta looked at Riku and then down at the woman before she laughed lightly.  
  
"It's okay, he just... landed a little to hard that's all," Jetta said, "Give him a minute or two and it'll all come back to him." The woman slightly smiled at the two before she gave them both a head nod as she stood.  
  
"Let's get you two back to the village," The woman said as she started to walk off, letting the two follow her. Just when Jetta started to follow the woman Riku grabbed her hand and pulled her back.  
  
"What's going on?" Riku asked as he glared at Jetta.  
  
"Well, you see, the people here saw your 'landing' and apparently they think we're Gods sent to help them," Jetta explained, "So just play along okay."  
  
"Gods?" Riku asked as if he didn't believe her, "Don't you think that's a little over the top? I mean what if we mess up and they realize we're not from around here?"  
  
"Technically the heavens is another place, so I don't really think we have to worry about that."  
  
"But what about the way we look?" Riku asked, "Do they really think we look like Gods?"  
  
"No, the Chief was suspicious of us, but I took care of that," Jetta answered, "You see I told him that we had to get a different appearances so we wouldn't stand out."  
  
"Jetta," Riku growled while he let out a heavy sigh, only to get his mouth covered again.  
  
"It's Shakaru here!" Riku glared at her before he removed her hand from his mouth.  
  
"Whatever... Shakaru!" Riku spat, "I hope you know you're just digging us into a hole."  
  
"No I'm not!" Jetta snapped back.  
  
"Hey! Where'd the lady go?" Riku asked, noticing the woman was long gone.  
  
"Now look what you did!" Jetta shouted, "She left us!"  
  
"Well, she was heading that way," Riku said as he pointed in the general direction, "Lets see if we can't catch up with her."  
  
"And what if she isn't walking in a strait path?"  
  
"If we go strait then we're bound to get out sometime," Riku snapped, "I'm sure this corn field isn't endless."  
  
"We still wont know how to get to the village."  
  
"Now look at who's being the downer."  
  
"It's from being around you!"  
  
"Whatever Copper!"  
  
"Just shut up Silver!" Both growled at each other before they turned their backs at each other.  
  
"Um... Is there a problem?" Both turned to find the woman had come back for them.  
  
"It's nothing," Then both said simultaneously.  
  
"Funny, I never expected you two to fight with each other," The woman said as she faintly smiled at the two.  
  
"What do you mean?" Jetta asked.  
  
"Never mind," The woman said as she shook her head, "I just could never see the Gods Pah and Shakaru fighting with each other, but I see you have proved me wrong. Now, if you would, please follow me." Both teens looked over at each other and shrugged before they followed the woman out of the cornfield.

* * *

"Shakaru! Pah! I see you both made it," The chief said with a smiled as the two entered his hut, "Good, now we can get started. Have a seat. Sit anywhere you like." Both Jetta and Riku took a seat on an animal skin rug before the chief started.  
  
"As you know I've been praying for you help, and I think the suffering land gave why I asked for help away, didn't it Dayunsi?"  
  
"Yes," Neron said as he gave Chief Powhatan a head nod, going along with it.  
  
"New people have arrived and are tearing up the land from beneath our feet," The chief said, "We have tried reasoning with them, but they always turn us away. I have gotten to the point where I can not bare the agony of the earth anymore, so I wish you to stop them."  
  
"Whoa now!" Jetta shouted, "You want us to kill them?"  
  
"No, I want you to go and reason with them," the chief said, "Surly the wrath of the Gods will change there minds, but I'm afraid if they don't we may have to result in a war. I do not wish to fight them, but the land suffers."  
  
"I understand," Neron said, giving the Chief a small head nod.   
  
"Chief Powhatan!" A man shouted as he ran into the chief's hut and fell onto his knees before the four 'Gods', "I'm sorry for barging in, but Pocahontas has gone missing again." Powhatan let out a heavy sigh as he brought a hand to his forehead and rubbed his temples in frustration.  
  
"Thank you Kokoum," Powhatan said with a sour look on his face.  
  
"Should I go out and look for her," Kokoum offered.  
  
"That's okay, I'm sure she'll turn up soon. If not then I'll send you out to find her," Powhatan said with a heavy sigh as he dismissed Kokoum with the wave of his hand, "I'm sorry about that, my daughter gets into mischief a lot."  
  
"We can find your daughter if you want us to Chief Powhatan," Jetta said, getting glares and annoyed looks from the boys, but she simply ignored them.  
  
"That's okay Shakaru, I didn't call you here to go look for my daughter," Powhatan said.  
  
"It's okay, we don't mind," Jetta said with a smile, "We can search for her as soon as we finish reasoning with these new people."  
  
"I would be very grateful if you did," Powhatan said, "I worry more with each passing day as they draw closer to our village with their destructive ways."  
  
"No time to waist you guys!" Jetta said as she stood, "Lets get going!" With that said, she grabbed Neron and Max and pulled them out of the hut. Riku sighed as he slowly followed after the three, a little annoying that they had to run errand instead of fight something, which he would have liked to rather do. Anything was better than searching for a missing daughter or trying to stop a war before it started.

* * *

"I'm sorry Sora," Hercules apologized as he quickly pulled the weights off of the pole, having some trouble since he didn't have his powers.  
  
"It's okay," Sora grunted, "This isn't your fault. I'm just glad the weights are big enough to where they aren't crushing me."  
  
"Or that you're so scrawny."  
  
"Hey! Just cause your muscles are bigger than mine doesn't mean I'm scrawny," Sora snapped.  
  
"Yeah, well, these big muscles aren't worth anything anymore," Hercules said with a sigh as he pushed the last weight off one end, letting Sora slip free.  
  
"What exactly happened?"   
  
"To sum it all up, Hades and I made a deal: I give up my powers for a day, and Meg gets set free," Hercules said as he glanced over at Meg, who hadn't dared move from her spot, "Some deal that was..."   
  
"But I thought you liked her?"  
  
"Yeah, I did," Hercules said, "She was working with Hades all along..."  
  
"Oh..." Sora said quietly before he fell silent.  
  
"What happened here?" Auron said as he walked up to the two, "Did someone die?"  
  
"Look Auron," Hercules said as he stood, "Just kill me now and take my heart, I can't fight back anyway."  
  
"Hercules!" Sora gasped as he stood and positioned himself in between Hercules and Auron, "I wont let you kill him!"  
  
"Don't worry kid, that's not what I'm here for."  
  
"What?" Both Hercules and Sora asked simultaneously with wide eyes.  
  
"That job belongs to a new recruit," Auron said, "I came to warn you about Hades, and his plan. I assume he already took your power?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Damn, I was hopping I could arrive before that, no matter," Auron said.  
  
"What about Hades' plan?" Sora asked before Auron turned to look at the boy.  
  
"He's gone to release the Titans," Auron said, "I over heard him talking to his minions one day about a prophesy the Faiths told him; how he would release the Titans when the planets align and then take down Zeus."  
  
"I don't understand," Hercules said, "If he's after my Father then what does he want with me?"  
  
"He also said that the Faiths also told him that if he fought Zeus he would win, but if the son of Zeus stepped in then he would fail," Auron explained.  
  
"So that's why he took my powers away..." Hercules said with a growl.  
  
"Why does he want to fight his brother?" Sora asked, "I mean I've heard of sibling rivalries, but this just sounds ridicules."  
  
"He wants to take Zeus's place and rule over all," Auron said, "From the way he talks he doesn't seem to like his job. If you asked me I'd say he's a little jealous over his brother."  
  
"We have to stop him," Sora proclaimed.  
  
"How?" Hercules asked, "I'm of no use at the moment."  
  
"Who knows... maybe you can still win," Sora said, "You'll never know until you try."  
  
"Yeah... I guess I have nothing to lose now," Hercules said bitterly as he glanced back at Meg. Just then Pegasus came flying in fast, tweeting and neighing in a manner that made him seemed panicked.  
  
"What's wrong Pegasus?" Hercules asked as Pegasus landed in front of him and gestured for him to get on his back, "Something must be wrong. Come on Sora, let's go."  
  
"In your condition?" Auron asked, "By the way your pony acts it sounds like a big problem." Pegasus let out a quick snort at the man, not like being called a pony.  
  
"Then you can come help," Sora said looking up at Auron with his bright blue eyes, "You said yourself that you weren't after Hercules anymore, and you're not a bad guy."  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
"You're kidding me right? I know you could have killed me easy back in Thebes," Sora said, "I mean after all if that Hydra didn't stand a chance against you then I'm sure I don't."  
  
"Are you coming or not Auron?" Hercules asked already on Pegasus's back.  
  
"Come on Auron, I know you want to," Sora said as he took Auron's hand and started to pull him over to Pegasus.  
  
"Look, I'll help, but I'm not riding that thing to get there," Auron said as he easily pulled his hand out of Sora's grasp, "I'll get there, don't worry."   
  
"But... how?" Sora asked.  
  
"Hades gives his minions full access to the underworld, I can be where ever I please whenever I want," Auron said before he snapped his fingers. A blue flame sparked around him and he disappeared just as he came.  
  
"Lets go Sora," Hercules said as he pulled the stunned Sora, still amazed at Auron's little trick, onto Pegasus's back just as the horse took to the sky.  
  
After a few minutes of flying at a tremendously fast speed over the ocean, scaring Sora witless, they arrived at Thebes. Sora and Hercules both gasped at the sight before them. Apparently Thebes wasn't a good place after all, considering there was a gigantic Cyclops standing in the middle of the city, destroying anything it touched.  
  
"Hercules!" It screamed as it smashed another building, "Where are you?"  
  
"I suppose that's who took Auron's job?" Sora said as he swallowed hard, "This looks like a really big problem."  
  
"You can say that again," Hercules muttered as Pegasus descended down into the town.

* * *

The four sat behind a few bushes outside of a large looking wooden fort. Surrounding the fort was a wall of cut down trees and several men guarded the only door into the place. From what Chief Powhatan's village looked like compared to this, it was clear that the two groups of people were very different, in more ways then one.  
  
"Man... I can't believe we are doing this," Max grumbled, "This is the highest form of meddling, I know it. We're right in the middle of everything here!"  
  
"I'm more worried about what the people are going to think about us," Neron said, "I mean from what the chief says these are completely different people. That means they'll most likely have different beliefs, so to them we'll just look like a group of crazy teens."  
  
"Good point," Riku said as she crossed his arms over his chest, "So how are we going to go about and do this?"  
  
"We'll just go in and look like a bunch of crazy teens," Jetta said, "No problem."  
  
"Where are you going with this?" Neron asked as he gave Jetta a skeptical look.  
  
"It's simple. We'll just walk in, figure what they are here for, and if we have to, approach the main person of this whole thing to try and stop him," Jetta explained.  
  
"Yeah but nobody's going to take us seriously," Neron spat.  
  
"Then we'll use force," Jetta said.  
  
"We came to reason!" Riku snapped, "Not start a war!"  
  
"Just a thought," Jetta growled as she crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
"Lets just go back and explain that this is all just one big mistake," Max suggested.  
  
"What's a mistake?" All four teens jumped as they turned to find a tall man with shoulder length blonde hair standing behind them. All four fell silent as they stared at the man.  
  
"You four don't look familiar," The man said as he bent down slightly to examine them, "I don't remember seeing you on the ship. Did you stool away?"  
  
"No," Neron answered.  
  
"Well, come on then," The man said as he started to walk towards the fort, "You kids shouldn't be roaming around out here."  
  
"Come one, he's our ticket in," Jetta whispered to the three boys before she stood and followed the man. The three boys sighed before they slowly followed after Jetta.  
  
"So uh... what's your name?" Jetta asked as she looked up at the man.  
  
"John Smith," The man said before he cast Jetta an odd look, "You don't recognize me?"  
  
"Yes, I do, it's just I'm not good with names," Jetta said with a smile, "So anyway, John, why exactly are we here?"  
  
"You don't know?" John asked, giving the girl a confused look.  
  
"I haven't been told anything about it," Jetta said, "I mean, after all, they don't tell the younger generations anything anymore."  
  
"I suppose you are right," John said with a small chuckle, "We're here for the gold in the land."  
  
"So that's what all the holes around here are for," Jetta said solemnly.  
  
"You sound like it's a bad thing?"  
  
"It is," Neron said as he piped up from the back, "Other people and things live here too. It doesn't all belong to you and your little friends."  
  
"Whoa! Hold up there boy," John said as he raised his hands in defense, "Don't bite my head off, after all it's not my idea. If you want someone to complain to go to Governor Ratcliffe, but I doubt he'd listen to some kids."  
  
"We're not kids!" Neron growled.  
  
"Maybe we should go talk with this Ratcliffe guy," Jetta said, "Could you take us to him?"  
  
"I don't think I should."  
  
"Fine, we'll find him on our own," Neron spat as he walked past John with the others following him. John stopped and shook his head at the group before he walked back out of the fort, wanting to explore the land a little more.  
  
"Someone is living up to their God's name," Riku stated as he looked over at Neron.  
  
"Yeah... well... it's wrong anyway," Neron grumbled as he looked around, "So where do you think this Ratcliffe guy is?"  
  
"Well, if he's the leader then he's bound to have the biggest tent here, right?" Jetta said.  
  
"Good point," Max said as he looked around at the tents before he pointed at one, "That one seems to be the biggest."  
  
"Then lets go!" Jetta said as she ran into the tent. The pudgy man inside looked up from his desk and glared at the intruders.  
  
"What happened to your manners you brats?" He growled.  
  
"Governor Ratcliffe?" Neron asked.  
  
"Yes, what is it. I don't have time for this?"  
  
"We've been sent by Chief Powhatan to ask you to leave the land alone," Neron said, getting strait to the point.  
  
"The leader of those savages?"  
  
"They're not savages!" Jetta spat as she glared at the man.  
  
"Listen, brats, I don't have time for your games."  
  
"This is no game," Neron said as he walked up to Governor Ratcliffe's desk and placed both hands down on the wood roughly, causing some items on the desk to rattle. This did not amuse Governor Ratcliffe at all.  
  
"You are hurting the land, and the people and animals that live around the land that you are destroying."  
  
"Your point?" The Governor asked, causing Neron's eyes to widen in shock.  
  
"Have you no heart?" Neron spat.  
  
"I have one, I just don't care for those savages."  
  
"They're not savages!" Jetta shouted again, "They are people, living and breathing, just like you!"  
  
"Look, as much as I want to sit here and listen to you rant about silly pointless things, I have work to do," Governor Ratcliffe spat, "Now get out before I call the guards on you!"   
  
All four of the teens shot the man dirty looks as they exited the tent. Governor Ratcliffe frowned as he ran his fingers over his goatee and mustache combo as he thought about what the boy had said to him.  
  
"We've been here for days and we still haven't found a single sign of gold," He said as he looked down at his sleeping pug, "What if they are trying to keep me away from the gold?"  
  
"Yes, that's it," Ratcliffe said, "They already have all the gold and just want to keep it for themselves. Why those dirty savages! I'll get my gold, and I don't care how!"

* * *

"What a jerk!" Jetta growled as the four of them walked out of the fort.  
  
"That accomplished absolutely nothing," Neron grumbled.  
  
"Some peoples' minds cannot be changed so easily," Riku said, "We can try again later. Until then we should get back to Chief Powhatan and tell him what we learned."  
  
"Uh... guys," Max said as he stopped, causing the others to stop as well.  
  
"What is it Max?" Jetta asked.  
  
"How do we get back to the village?" Everyone fell silent as they looked around at one another, hopping someone knew the answer to Max's question.  
  
"Why don't we go look for the chief's daughter? I'm sure she knows the way back," Jetta suggested.  
  
"What if she already went back home?" Riku asked, "Then what are we going to do?"  
  
"He has a point, and besides, we don't even know what this girl looks like," Neron said.  
  
"We'll think about that latter," Jetta said, "For now lets just look around."   
  
"Oh my gosh!" Neron nearly gasped as if just realizing something.  
  
"What?" Riku asked before he watched Neron knock Jetta upside her head with a fist, but not as hard as he would have liked to. Both Max and Riku's eyes widened after this, knowing their friend was now a goner for sure.  
  
"I can't believe you!" Neron shouted, "Finding this girl is just like a babysitting job; we're going after a lost kid. Did I fail to mention last time that I hate babysitting?" Jetta growled as she slapped him upside the head, wishing she had more strength to slap him harder.  
  
"You're such a jerk! Do you have no manners?" Jetta screeched, "It's rude to hit a lady!"  
  
"Well, you're not a lady so why should it matter." Neron snickered before Jetta tried to pounce on him, but Riku and Max intervened just before she could get her hands around his neck.  
  
"You know, one day we're not even going to bother holding Jetta back," Riku spat as he glared at the blonde, "I'd actually enjoy watching her kick your ass."  
  
"Like she could," Neron snorted.  
  
"Why you little-"  
  
"Myself I think we should just let her go now," Max said, interrupting Jetta, "You know, just to teach Neron a lesson."  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me," Riku said as he smirked at the boy, but Neron didn't seem threatened.  
  
"Go ahead," Neron said as he waved the three away and started to walk off. Max and Riku smiled to one another before they obeyed.   
  
In the blink of an eye Jetta went tarring off after Neron, and once noticing her charge Neron began to flee for his life. Riku and Max found themselves chasing the two through the forest, dodging tree branched and roots, trying their best to keep up. Neron and Jetta reached a clearing by a river, and Neron found himself trapped. He started to turn to go in a new direction but it was to late.  
  
The next thing Neron knew was that he was face down in the dirt with Jetta pounding her fists into the back of his head. Max and Riku smirked at one another, after arriving at the scene, listening to Neron's please for the girl to stop; they even went as fare as laughing when he asked of their help. Eventually, they pulled her off of his back, figuring she had, literally, beaten in the fact that she could kiss his ass into his head.  
  
"Hey! It's you four again!" Everyone stopped and turned to find John Smith standing beside a young looking woman with long black hair and dark tan skin.

* * *

Disclaimer: Okay let me start by saying I don't own Pocahontas, John Smith, Governor Ratcliffe, or any other characters in this world, or the world for that matter. Not even the slightest drop of water, ear of corn, or grain of dirt. It all belongs to Disney, not me.  
  
Author: All right, now that that's out of the way I feel much better... not really. Actually I still feel the same.   
  
Riku: At least this time you didn't go rambling on with the disclaimer like you do every time.  
  
Author: ((Ignores Riku)) I actually did research for this chapter! I feel so proud of myself. ((Grins)) The Gods that the four are "claiming" to be are actual Gods that Native Americans believe in, cool huh? Neron and Jetta were the easiest, while Max was the hardest to find a suitable God to impersonate, sighs I'm just thankful I found one. Riku was kinda aggravating cause at first I wanted to make Riku a God of wind... but I couldn't really find one that I actually liked, so I made him a moon God cause of his hair. ((Rubs Riku's head))  
  
Riku: ((Growling)) Cut it out!  
  
Sora: ((Runs into the room with a fresh plate of cookies)) It's cookie time!!! So lets see who gets a cookie. ((Looks at his list)) Zanisha, Rurouni Saiyan, and MagRowan all get a cookie. ((Hands out the cookies)) Hey look!!! Leftovers!!!   
  
Riku: Can I have one?  
  
Sora: No!! They're for Kairi!!! ((Runs off))  
  
Riku: I want one!! ((Chases Sora down))  
  
Author: o.O Uh... you wanna read the notes Kairi? I've gotta go make sure they don't break anything. ((Hands Kairi the notes and runs off))  
  
Kairi: Um... okay. ((Smiles at the reviews before she starts to read))  
  
Zanisha's note: ((Grins)) You're right, Riku's driving does sound a lot like you in bumper cars. LOL! But I know how you fell, the same thing happens to me in bumper cars. Normally with me I'll lose them and they'll come out of no where and hit me... which really sucks, but that's life. Anyways I'm glad you thought I did an awesome job on the last chapter and thank you for reviewing. ((Grins))   
  
Iudex Acerbus's note: I'm glad you found the last chapter exciting. ((Grins)) As for Kairi.... she'll come in later.... but don't be expecting her anytime soon. Sorry. Now the deal with Sora and his memory, he'll just regain a little at a time, at moments in the story, but I'm not telling when or what he remembers. ((Grins)) Don't wanna spoil it for ya. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!   
  
Rurouni Saiyan's note: Yes they are going back to the Yu Yu world, so don't worry, and I plan on having more of the Yu Yu gang in their the next time I send them there. ((Grins)) By the way Sora was never mad you for hitting him with the pillow, but Riku... he's a different story now, LOL! I must admit that kiss was really funny! Thanks, once again, for reviewing.   
  
MagRowan's note: You really thought my last reply was funny? ((Grins)) I'm glad you thought that. I love making people laugh. Anyway, the idea of their Gummi ship crashing into John's ship was fun, but it wouldn't have really working with what I was doing.... though I don't know it could have. ((Grins)) It's funny anyway. Oh wow!! My list was really short last chapter!! Yay!! ((Bounces around the room)) I'm so happy now. Thanks for reviewing and thanks for checking my spelling.   
  
Kairi: Well, um... Demon's not really back yet, and I'm not exactly sure what's going on cause it got quite all of the sudden.  
  
CRASH!!!  
  
Sora: ((Walks into the room with a smile on his face)) Here you go Kairi.  
  
Kairi: Um... thanks. ((Takes a cookie)) What happened to Riku?  
  
Sora: He's... resting. ((Grins))  
  
Author: ((Walks in stunned)) Note to self: Never get in the way of Sora trying to win Kairi's affection. O.O I'm gonna go put Riku on the couch... where I'm sure it's more comfortable. Thanks again for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. ((Walks out of the room)) 


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